J&K session starts on stormy note; BJP protests in Well; NC, Congress seek statehood

The autumn session of the J&K Assembly began amid protests, with BJP MLAs disrupting Question Hour over alleged governance failures, while NC and Congress legislators raised slogans demanding the restoration of statehood. Other opposition members joined the protests, while PDP leader Waheed Para moved an adjournment motion on the rationalisation of reservations in J&K.

Lt Gen Mohit Seth to take over as GOC 16 Corps on Oct 1

Jammu Tawi, Sep 21: Lieutenant General Mohit Seth will take over as the General-Officer-Commanding (GOC) of the strategically important White Knight Corps, also known as XVI Corps, at Nagrota in Jammu on October 1. According to the details available, Lieutenant General Seth will succeed Lieutenant General P K Mishra, who will move to a new [] The post Lt Gen Mohit Seth to take over as GOC 16 Corps on Oct 1 appeared first on Northlines .

Keerapakkam Residents Block Road Demanding Drinking Water

About 15,000 people are living in Keerapakkam, Murugamangalam and Arungal villages coming under the Keerapakkam panchayat.

'The past doesn't count anymore': Mancini turns page as Italy gather for Nations League

Roberto Mancini set a demanding tone as Italy gathered on Monday, insisting on immediate progress while mounting a strong defense of his heavily overhauled squad for his first match back as coach.

Protest over DSC scam to continue in Andhra till Lokesh resigns, says Jagan

Digital Desk | Amaravati, Sep 21 (IANS) YSR Congress Party chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Monday that his party would continue its protest across Andhra Pradesh till the resignation of Education Minister Nara Lokesh and a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers. The former Chief Minister condemned the police highhandedness against YSRCP leaders and cadres staging a protest at the office of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) in Vijayawada. He alleged that TDP goons, disguised as teachers, attacked the protestors. Chandrababu Naidu Garu, why are you so afraid and agitated when we demand a CBI inquiry into the DSC scam? Can you and your son, Education Minister Nara Lokesh, simply certify your own recruitment process as transparent? What value does a self-issued certificate from those accused of committing the scam carry? Stop making empty claims. If you have the courage, agree to a CBI inquiry, the YSRCP president said in a post on X. The incidents in Vijayawada today show how far your government has fallen. Our party leaders, along with students and unemployed youth, attempted to conduct a peaceful rally demanding a CBI inquiry. But the police blocked them, subjected them to a lathi-charge and allowed your goons, disguised as teachers, to attack them, he said. YS Jagan asked if the Opposition does not even have the democratic right to hold a peaceful rally. Mr Chandrababu Naidu? You are resorting to such desperate measures because serious irregularities have occurred in the DSC recruitment and because you and your son are unable to answer the questions being raised. Whenever you are caught in a scam, creating diversions to escape accountability has become your standard practice. What are we demanding? We are seeking an impartial CBI investigation into irregularities in a recruitment process connected to the futures of lakhs of candidates. If you are so confident that nothing improper happened, why are you afraid of an investigation, particularly when so much evidence has emerged? the former Chief Minister asked. He stated that lakhs of young people study for years and spend substantial amounts of money preparing for teacher recruitment examinations. They must have confidence that their hard work and merit will receive justice through a fair government recruitment system. Because of the alleged irregularities committed under your government and Education Minister Lokesh, unemployed youth and job aspirants have lost that confidence. Can police barricades, lathi-charges, arrests and stage-managed counter-protests restore this lost trust? Only an impartial CBI investigation can restore public confidence in the recruitment process. You cannot hide a scam by using the police as a shield. You cannot suppress the Oppositions voice and conceal the facts. DSC candidates must receive justice, and government recruitment must be transparent. That is why we are fighting. Nara Lokesh must accept responsibility for the DSC irregularities and resign as Education Minister. The government must order a CBI inquiry. Until these demands are met, our voice will continue to resonate across the State, YS Jagan added.

iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer

Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max earlier this month, arriving four years after the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Four generations of changes make for a substantial upgrade, bringing larger displays, an all-new design, improvements to every camera, significantly longer battery life, faster charging, USB-C connectivity, and support for Apple Intelligence . The iPhone 15 Pro replaced the stainless steel frame with titanium, introduced the Action button and USB-C port, and added the A17 Pro chip. 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 14 Pro owners, all four sets of changes accumulate. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, $200 more than the iPhone 14 Pro's $999 launch price, although the entry storage tier has doubled from 128GB. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, also $200 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max's $1,099 launch price, with the same increase in base storage. Here are the key differences between the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro: Design and Display iPhone 14 Pro (2022) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Stainless steel frame with squared-off edges and 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 14 Pro : 6.1-inch display iPhone 14 Pro Max : 6.7-inch display iPhone 18 Pro : 6.3-inch display iPhone 18 Pro Max : 6.9-inch display iPhone 14 Pro : 2,556-by-1,179-pixel resolution iPhone 14 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 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) Dynamic Island supports up to two simultaneous Live Activities Smaller Dynamic Island, supports up to three simultaneous Live Activities Ring/Silent switch Action button Camera Control capacitive button with sapphire crystal cover Available in Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space Black Available in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy 95% fiber-based packaging 100% fiber-based packaging, suitable for recycling Dimensions and Weight iPhone 14 Pro (2022) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Height iPhone 14 Pro : 147.5mm (5.81 inches) iPhone 14 Pro Max : 160.7mm (6.33 inches) iPhone 18 Pro : 150.0mm (5.91 inches) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 163.4mm (6.43 inches) Width iPhone 14 Pro : 71.5mm (2.81 inches) iPhone 14 Pro Max : 77.6mm (3.06 inches) iPhone 18 Pro : 71.9mm (2.83 inches) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 78.0mm (3.07 inches) Thickness 7.85mm (0.31 inches) 8.75mm (0.34 inches) Weight iPhone 14 Pro : 206 grams (7.27 ounces) iPhone 14 Pro Max : 240 grams (8.47 ounces) iPhone 18 Pro : 211 grams (7.44 ounces) iPhone 18 Pro Max : 249 grams (8.78 ounces) Chip, Performance, and Connectivity iPhone 14 Pro (2022) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) A16 Bionic chip A20 Pro chip Built with TSMC's N4P process (4nm) Built with TSMC's N2 process (2nm) 6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores 6GB LPDDR5 RAM 12GB LPDDR5X RAM 51.2GB/s memory bandwidth 115GB/s memory bandwidth 5-core GPU 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores) Passive cooling 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 HEVC, H.264, and ProRes video playback HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes video playback Supports iOS 27 , but not Apple Intelligence or Siri AI Supports iOS 27, Apple Intelligence, Siri AI, and Visual Intelligence Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 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 6 (802.11ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity Bluetooth 6 connectivity First-generation Ultra Wideband chip Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with Precision Finding for people Lightning port with USB 2 transfer speeds up to 480Mb/s USB-C port with USB 3 transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s Up to 1080p video output using a Lightning adapter DisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video output Rear Camera iPhone 14 Pro (2022) 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 12-megapixel HEIF and JPEG photos, or up to 48-megapixel ProRAW photos from the Main camera 24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos from the Main, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto cameras 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 3x Telephoto camera, with 77mm focal length 4x Telephoto camera, with 100mm focal length, also enabling 12-megapixel optical-quality 8x shots at 200mm 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x 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 Digital zoom up to 15x Digital zoom up to 40x 24mm default Main camera lens Customizable default lens for the Fusion Main camera Macro photography 48-megapixel macro photography JPEG-XL compression for ProRAW photos Smart HDR 4 Smart HDR 5 Portrait mode with Depth Control Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control 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 Spatial photo capture Apple Reference Image (Main camera only) Camera Control The iPhone 14 Pro has a traditional Ring/Silent switch and lacks both of the dedicated controls Apple added to later generations. The iPhone 18 Pro includes an Action button that can launch the camera or Visual Intelligence, as well as a Camera Control with 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 14 Pro (2022) 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 30 fps, or 1080p at 30 fps on the 128GB model ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording Records video to internal storage Can record video directly to external storage over USB-C 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 Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps 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 2 Academy Color Encoding System support ProRes RAW capture support Genlock support Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps Front Camera iPhone 14 Pro (2022) 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 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 Smart HDR 4 Smart HDR 5 Portrait mode with Depth Control Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control First-generation Photographic Styles Photographic Styles 3, with tone, color, texture, and grain controls Smart focus tracking 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 ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps, or 1080p at 30 fps on the 128GB model ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording 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 2 Academy Color Encoding System support ProRes RAW capture support Audio Recording iPhone 14 Pro (2022) 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 14 Pro (2022) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) iPhone 14 Pro : 3,200 mAh battery iPhone 14 Pro Max : 4,323 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 14 Pro : Up to 23 hours of video playback iPhone 14 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 14 Pro : Up to 20 hours of streamed video playback iPhone 14 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 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 Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W Optimized Battery Charging Charge Limit from 80% to 100% in 5% increments, plus Optimized Battery Charging Battery Health shows maximum capacity, peak performance capability, and whether service is recommended Battery Health also shows cycle count, manufacture date, and date of first use Battery designed to retain 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles Battery designed to retain 80% of its original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles Storage and Pricing iPhone 14 Pro (2022) iPhone 18 Pro (2026) Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage iPhone 14 Pro : Launched at $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) iPhone 14 Pro Max : Launched at $1,099 (128GB), $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 For iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max owners considering a new device, the iPhone 18 Pro is a worthwhile upgrade. Four generations of changes bring improvements to the display, every camera on the device, battery life, charging, sustained performance, and connectivity. Battery life is likely to be the strongest improvement 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 newer battery is also designed to retain 80% of its original capacity for twice as many complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, and Charge Limit offers more control over long-term battery wear. USB-C is another significant quality-of-life improvement for iPhone 14 Pro owners. It allows the iPhone to share cables with recent Macs, iPads, and accessories, while the jump from USB 2 to USB 3 speeds makes large wired photo and video transfers far quicker. The Action button and Camera Control also provide two new physical controls that the iPhone 14 Pro lacks. 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. Both iPhone 14 Pro sizes move from a 3x Telephoto camera to 4x, alongside an optical-quality 8x option that substantially extends their usable reach. For video creators, the accumulated changes are more consequential still. Higher-frame-rate 4K recording, external recording over USB-C, ProRes RAW, Genlock, Apple Log 2, Dual Capture, and improved audio tools expand the range of work that can be completed on the device. Spatial photo and video capture is also useful for Apple Vision Pro owners. The square front-camera sensor 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. The increase from 6GB to 12GB of RAM and the additional AI processing hardware also enable Apple Intelligence, Siri AI, and Visual Intelligence, none of which are available on the iPhone 14 Pro. The older model still supports iOS 27 and remains capable for messaging, browsing, photography, and other everyday activities, so the latest software update does not make it obsolete. There are physical trade-offs to consider. Both newer models are taller and thicker, although the move from stainless steel to aluminum means the weight increases by only 5 grams on the Pro and 9 grams on the Pro Max despite the larger displays and batteries. The aluminum enclosure improves thermal management, but it is less premium-looking, and it may show dents and scratches more readily than the iPhone 14 Pro's stainless steel frame. If your iPhone 14 Pro still meets your needs and comfortably lasts through the day, upgrading is not urgent, but you may want to think about getting a new device soon. A battery replacement may be worth considering if reduced health is your main complaint and you would otherwise be happy to keep your device. The upgrade becomes much easier to recommend when battery limitations coincide with a desire for Apple Intelligence, USB-C, the newer cameras, and a larger display. A discounted iPhone 17 Pro is another option if your priorities are the aluminum design, higher-resolution telephoto camera, square front-camera sensor, Apple Intelligence, USB-C, 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, but coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro will still feel like a significant upgrade. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: iPhone 18 Pro (Buy Now) Related Forum: iPhone This article, iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade? first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Delhi Teenager Raped By 3 Men Posing As Cops Near Kalkaji Mandir

According to the complaint, the girl went to Kalkaji Mandir with her 17-year-old male friend around 7 pm on Monday.

CJP backs Odisha students' protest, seeks minister's exit

Students and political parties in Odisha are protesting widespread errors in school textbooks, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond. The CJP has extended support to the Navnirman Yuva Chhatra Sangathan's 'satyagraha', while the state government has begun distributing corrected textbooks.

Trump's White House Media Ban Backfires? CNN, MS NOW & Politico Take Fight To Court

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have notified the Trump administration that they are filing an emergency First Amendment lawsuit demanding the restoration of their White House access. Donald Trump barred the three organisations after accusing them of publishing fake news, openly linking their exclusion to reporting he disliked rather than any alleged security breach or misconduct. Reporters Betsy Klein, Akayla Gardner and Cheyenne Haslett were subsequently stopped by Secret Service personnel and had their deactivated credentials confiscated. CNN and MS NOW also reportedly lost access to workspaces and broadcast positions, while CNN was removed from television pool duty for Trumps New York trip. The outlets argue that the ban violates press-freedom and due-process protections by turning presidential access into a reward for favourable coverage. A federal judge must now determine whether the president can close the peoples house to journalists because he objects to what they publish.

Cong alleges 18 Raj councillors detained in Haryana

Congress leaders have accused the Haryana Police of illegally detaining 18 municipal councillors from Rajasthan's Tijara in Panchkula, allegedly to prevent them from voting in a crucial municipal council chairperson election. While police deny the claims, Congress has staged protests, calling the incident a murder of democracy and demanding a high-level inquiry into the alleged political interference.

Major TV networks suspend White House pool coverage of Trump in response to his networks ban

Three news organizations whose journalists were banned from the White House last week are suing President Trump and three of his top advisers in federal court, demanding that access for their reporters be immediately restored. This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes, CNN, MS NOW and Politico said in a joint statement on Monday. Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the publics right to independent journalism free from government interference. According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the news outlets allege that Trump and the White House are retaliating against them for coverage they dislike. President Trump has said in no uncertain terms that he would prefer only to be covered by news organizations and reporters who praise his administration, the complaint states. But the Constitution does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process based solely on his dislike of the content of their reporting. The organizations argue that their reporters were not afforded due process and are asking a federal judge to quickly rule that Trump's ban is unconstitutional. Trump appeared to respond to the lawsuit in a social media post early Monday. The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America, the president wrote on Truth Social . It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! How the ban unfolded A view of the White House Briefing Room on Sept. 19. Graeme Sloan/Getty Images On Friday afternoon, Trump announced the ban in a Truth Social post , saying it was not prompted by any particular stories but was a result of their constant reporting FAKE NEWS! It's really just cumulative stories over the last few years. You get sick of it, Trump said at an Oval Office event an hour later while explaining his decision to enact the ban on the free press. Theres something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories, the president said. If they want to write them, thats fine, but I dont have to let them into my, into the peoples house. On Saturday, reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House by members of the Secret Service and had their credentials so-called hard passes needed for access confiscated. The White House Correspondents Association condemned the move, saying it violates the First Amendment. The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably, Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News senior White House correspondent and WHCA president, said in a statement . Thats why courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access to journalists, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of their reporting. CNN, MS NOW and Politico are longstanding members of the White House press pool that provides rotating coverage of the administration and travels with the president. CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool on Monday. According to Politico , the four other major TV networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News are declining to participate in White House pool duties moving forward in response to the ban. The daily guidance issued by the White House for Monday listed no primary TV pool, identifying Hearst and Real Americas Voice as the secondary TV crews for the presidents events in Washington and his scheduled trip to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. Trump is scheduled to meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday afternoon. A White House staff member reaches for the microphone held by CNN's Jim Acosta as he questions President Trump during a news conference on Nov. 7,, 2018. REUTERS / REUTERS U.S. presidents throughout history have complained about negative coverage of their administrations. In 2009, the Obama administration sought to exclude Fox News from a series of interviews with a Treasury Department official in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, but backed down when the other major television networks objected. Trump, however, has continued his adversarial relationship with the media, often referring to the press as the enemy of the people. In 2018, Trump administration officials revoked the press pass of then-CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta after they said he interrupted the president during a news conference. The network sued, and a federal judge ordered Acostas credentials restored . Last year, Trump barred Associated Press journalists from the Oval Office, Air Force One and some official events after the news service declined to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by Trumps preferred name, the Gulf of America. The AP filed suit and the case is ongoing. This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/cnn-ms-now-and-politico-are-suing-trump-over-white-house-ban-155420637.html

Protect Sikkims peaceful identity, tackle cybercrime and narcotics: Governor to police officers

Digital Desk | Gangtok, Sep 21 (IANS) Sikkim Governor O.P. Mathur on Monday called upon newly inducted police officers to uphold the states peaceful and friendly identity while preparing to tackle emerging challenges, including cybercrime and narcotics-related offences. A delegation of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) from the 2024 batch of the Sikkim Police Service met the Governor at Lok Bhavan, according to an official statement. During the interaction, Mathur engaged with the officers on their understanding of the role of police personnel in society and invited them to share their perspectives on policing and public service. The Governor emphasised that the primary responsibility of the police force should be to create a sense of security and trust among citizens while preserving Sikkims reputation as a peaceful state. He urged the officers to develop effective action plans to address emerging threats, particularly cybercrime and narcotics, which require enhanced preparedness and coordinated responses from law enforcement agencies. Mathur also highlighted the importance of adopting modern technologies to keep pace with changing patterns of crime. He encouraged the officers to strengthen their technical capabilities and remain updated on developments in policing and crime prevention. The Governor advised the newly inducted personnel to maintain their physical and mental fitness, underlining the importance of personal well-being in carrying out demanding police duties. He further stressed the need for continuous learning, urging the officers to regularly update their knowledge of changing laws and emerging forms of criminal activity. The interaction focused on the responsibilities of the police in maintaining public confidence, responding to evolving security challenges and ensuring effective law enforcement. Mathurs remarks come amid growing attention to the need for police forces to strengthen their capabilities in tackling technology-enabled crimes and narcotics-related challenges. The Governor encouraged the officers to approach their duties with professionalism and a commitment to public service, while ensuring that law enforcement efforts remain aligned with Sikkims peaceful social environment. The meeting provided an opportunity for the newly inducted officers to interact with the Governor and discuss their responsibilities as members of the state police service.

8th pay commission: Himachal Pradesh, central govt pensioners stage protest, demand uniform pension revision

Himachal Pradesh and central government pensioners in Shimla staged a protest on Saturday, demanding withdrawal of the Centre's 2025 pension validation legislation. They are seeking uniform revision of pensions irrespective of the date of retirement.

Ahmadis face escalating violence in Pakistan amid climate of impunity: Rights body

Digital Desk | Islamabad, Sep 21 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Monday has expressed grave concern over the relentless targeting of Ahmadis in Pakistan, where violence, intimidation and mob activity have followed them from the workplace to places of worship and their homes, with attackers allegedly emboldened by the climate of impunity. Highlighting the escalating atrocities against the Ahmadiyya community, the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM) said that two Ahmadi Muslims Malik Mahmood Mubarak, 70, and his son Ayaz, 40 were shot in Sargodha district of Punjab province on September 19, while travelling back home. The rights body noted that both survived, but no arrests have been reported. It said that police registered a first information report the following day under the Pakistan Penal Code, after the victims were taken to District Headquarters Hospital. Citing witnesses, it said that the attackers fled on an unregistered motorcycle, while the complainant said that he would be able to identify the assailants if brought forward. Yet in a climate where faithbased killings rarely end in convictions, an FIR reads less like justice and more like paperwork. The Ahmadiyya Community has called for immediate protection, arrests and concrete measures to prevent further attacks, the VOPM noted. The latest attack came days after Pakistans Federal Constitutional Court upheld a Punjab ban on Rohani Khazayeen, a 23volume collection of writings by the Ahmadiyya founder, dismissing petitions that argued the ban violated constitutional religious freedom. The court held that religious freedom is subject to law, public policy and morality, and left the 2014 forfeiture in place. For a community already criminalised for professing its faith, the message is stark: even sacred texts can be seized, while sacred lives remain unprotected, the VOPM stated. Weeks before the latest shooting, on September 2, 65-year-old Mirza Safdar Mahmood was killed near Kot Ahmad Shah area in Mandi Bahauddin city of Punjab while travelling to an Ahmadi place of worship. Stressing that impunity is not an accident but a policy choice, the VOPM said: Pakistan must protect Ahmadi citizens, investigate every attack promptly, prosecute perpetrators under international standards, and provide remedies to victims. It must also review laws and administrative measures that enable discrimination and incitement, including the forfeiture of religious publications. Until then, every bullet that misses today will be read as a promise for tomorrow. Earlier this month, the United Nations experts voiced serious concern over continued discrimination, violence, and legal restrictions targeting members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, while calling on authorities to ensure their safety and uphold the country's international human rights commitments.

Congress slams Centre, Punjab govt over wheat stocks ahead of paddy procurement

Digital Desk | Chandigarh, Sep 21 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government and the BJP-led Union government over their failure to clear wheat stocks occupying crucial storage space in rice mills and mandi yards ahead of the paddy procurement season. With the official procurement season set to begin on October 1, and early varieties already arriving in several mandis, Bajwa warned that the continued occupation of storage space by wheat stocks could trigger serious congestion across Punjabs procurement system. Citing recent reports, Bajwa said nearly 12 lakh metric tons (MT) of wheat is still lying in rice mills across Punjab, while another 1.83 lakh MT of Central Pool wheat remains in mandi yards awaiting movement to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). These figures expose the complete lack of preparedness of both the Punjab government and the Union government. Paddy procurement is just days away, yet vital storage space remains occupied by wheat stocks that should have been cleared and moved months ago, he said. He cautioned that the situation could become particularly difficult once paddy arrivals gather momentum, as mills and mandis will simultaneously have to handle the incoming crop while dealing with wheat stocks yet to be moved. If this bottleneck is not cleared immediately, farmers could be forced to wait for hours or even days to unload their paddy. Those who lack adequate storage at their farms will be especially vulnerable to distress sales. Prolonged delays can also create additional problems related to moisture and grain quality, Bajwa said. He questioned why the Punjab government and the Centre had failed to anticipate an entirely foreseeable problem. This is not an unexpected crisis. Everyone knew that the paddy procurement season was approaching. The Punjab government and the Centre had months to plan the evacuation of wheat, arrange transportation and ensure adequate storage capacity. Yet, they failed to act until the crisis was staring them in the face, he remarked. Accusing the AAP government of prioritising publicity over preparedness, Bajwa said, Instead of ensuring that the foodgrain management system was ready for the next procurement season, the AAP government remained focused on publicity exercises and political theatrics. Now, Punjabs farmers are being left to bear the consequences of administrative failure. Bajwa demanded that the Punjab government and the Centre immediately coordinate the evacuation of wheat stocks from rice mills and mandi yards, accelerate their movement to designated storage locations and ensure sufficient space is available before paddy arrivals intensify. Punjabs farmers should not be made to pay the price for the failure of two governments. The AAP government and the BJP-led Centre must stop passing the responsibility to each other and immediately clear the bottleneck. Farmers must have assured and hassle-free procurement when their crop reaches the mandis, he added.

Textbook error row: Odisha students

Bhubaneswar: As the students agitation over errors in school textbooks gains momentum in Odisha, the CJP on Monday, September 21, extended its support to the ongoing satyagraha by the Navnirman Yuva Chhatra Sangathan (NYCS), which is demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over the alleged irregularities. The NYCS and Opposition 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 .

BIG WIN FOR PUTIN; Huge Victory For Russia's Ruling Party As Europe Cries Foul Over Poll Outcome

Russias ruling United Russia party is heading for a commanding parliamentary victory, strengthening President Vladimir Putins grip on the State Duma as the war in Ukraine continues.EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sharply criticised the vote, accusing the Kremlin of silencing dissent, excluding anti-war opposition and shutting out international monitors. Moscows election authorities, meanwhile, reported strong turnout and a larger United Russia vote share than in 2021.

Pudukottai Government Museum waits for facelift

The museum attracts up to 80 to 100 visitors a day, with the robotic dinosaur being among the most popular, followed by the remains of a whale mandible, say officials

Pudukottai Government Museum waits for facelift

The museum attracts up to 80 to 100 visitors a day, with the robotic dinosaur being among the most popular, followed by the remains of a whale mandible, say officials

Farmers seek early implementation of Mahadayi, Kalasa Banduri Nala project

Demanding early implementation of the Mahadayi, Kalasa Banduri Nala project and resolution of the drinking water and irrigation issues facing the region, farmers staged a demonstration in Hubballi on Monday

Farmers seek early implementation of Mahadayi, Kalasa Banduri Nala project

Demanding early implementation of the Mahadayi, Kalasa Banduri Nala project and resolution of the drinking water and irrigation issues facing the region, farmers staged a demonstration in Hubballi on Monday

BJP disrupted J&K Assembly proceedings to avoid questions on statehood: Congress leader G A Mir

Srinagar, Sep 21: AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Monday accused BJP MLAs of resorting to disrupting proceedings in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to escape a united front of political parties demanding the restoration of statehood as promised by the Centre. On the very first day, the BJP organised and created a commotion to hide their failures. Today, the entire House was going to unite and question the BJP, and ask the Centre why the commitment (on statehood restoration) was not honoured, Mir told reporters outside the House. The Congress leader, an MLA from the Dooru segment, said the Centre's failure to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir affects the local government as well. If you are unable to fulfil your commitment, then its effects are visible in our (NC) government. Our people's issues are also being affected because of this. So, the BJP sensed that questions would be raised against us and against the prime minister of the country, Mir said. Mir questioned the BJP for raising the issue of casual labourers, saying the party ruled Jammu and Kashmir for seven years and did nothing in their tenure regarding the issue. For seven years, they had a double-engine government; everything was in their hands. Even then, these were the same daily-wage and casual labourers. Why didn't they solve their issues then? he asked. Mir mentioned that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, despite having limited powers, has sought time to solve the issue. If the chief minister has asked for a few days and committed to solving their issue systematically, he should be given a chance, he added.

India bounce back from Iran defeat, sweep Pakistan 3-0 in Asian Games table tennis

India bounced back from their defeat to Iran with a commanding 3-0 win over Pakistan in the mens table tennis team event at the Asian Games, with Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Payas Jain each winning in straight games. Indias women also swept Pakistan to book a quarterfinal spot after opening their campaign with a 3-2 win over Singapore.

Quote of the day by Tom Cruise: 'I look at life as an adventure, and I always have my whole life...'; Hollywood actor reveals secret mantra of living life amid challenges and uncertainity

Tom Cruises belief that life is an adventure offers lessons beyond Hollywood. His philosophy highlights embracing uncertainty, staying curious, preparing for difficult challenges and continuing to learn regardless of success. From moving frequently as a child to mastering filmmaking and demanding stunts, Cruises journey suggests that growth often comes from stepping beyond comfort zones and remaining open to new experiences.

Asian Games 2026: India thrash Pakistan 3-0 in table tennis team event

AICHI NAGAYO: India bounced back from their defeat to Iran with a commanding 3-0 victory over Pakistan in the mens table tennis team contest at the Asian Games on Monday in Aichi-Nagoya. Harmeet Desai got India off to a winning start, defeating Khan Muhammad 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in straight games in the opening match.Sathiyan Gnanasekaran []

Yashbardhan Chauhans all-round show guides India U-19 to series-clinching win over Australia U-19

Digital Desk | Rajkot, Sep 21 (IANS) An all-round performance from Yashbardhan Chauhan powered India Under-19 to a comprehensive 103-run victory over Australia Under-19 in the second Youth ODI here at the Niranjan Shah Stadium and helped the hosts seal the three-match series with a game to spare. Chauhan starred with an explosive 122 off 100 balls before picking up two crucial wickets to dismantle Australia's run chase. Electing to bat first, India Under-19 posted a formidable 341/7 in their allotted 50 overs, anchored by Chauhan's magnificent century and a blistering 87 off 92 balls from VK Vineeth. Opening batter Aaryavir Sehwag provided a brisk start at the top of the order with a 48-ball 47 after captain Lakshay Raichandani fell for 11. India then took complete control as Chauhan and Vineeth joined forces and stitched together a commanding 132-run partnership off 124 balls for the third wicket. Chauhan was in sublime touch, striking 15 boundaries and two maximums in his 100-ball stay at a strike-rate of 122 and raised his second fifty-plus score in as many matches. Vineeth provided ideal support by clearing the fence six times alongside four hits to the boundary ropes. By the time Vineeth fell in the 40th over with the scoreboard reading 233/3, the foundation for a massive total was well laid. Chauhan and Kushagra Ojha then provided the late flourish, with the latter smashing a quickfire 34 off just 20 balls to help India plunder 106 runs in the final ten overs. For Australia Under-19, pacer Thomas Vaseo was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-78 from his ten overs. Chasing a daunting target of 342, Australia U-19 started steadily through skipper Jack Czosnek and Matthew Lough. Lough contributed a 40-ball 42, while Czosnek scored a fighting 81 off 63 balls, laden with seven fours and four sixes. The duo kept the visitors in the hunt with a 99-run stand off 82 balls for the fourth wicket after Australia had stumbled to 72/3. But the turning point came in the 27th over when Kavya Paresh Patel dismissed the dangerous Czosnek. His departure triggered a massive collapse, with Australia losing their last six wickets for just 38 runs. Despite a fighting 44 off 46 balls from Blake Cattle, laced with five fours and a six, Australia Under-19 were eventually bundled out for 238 in 41.1 overs. Spinner Chigurupati Venkata was the most successful bowler for the hosts by taking 3-64, while Chauhan capped off an outstanding day on the field with figures of 2-56. Patel was exceptionally economical, finishing with 2-23 from his seven overs, while Mohit Ulva chipped in with 1-19. Brief Scores: India Under-19 341/7 (Yashbardhan Chauhan 122, VK Vineeth 87; Thomas Vaseo 3-78) beat Australia Under-19 238 all out (Jack Czosnek 81, Blake Cattle 44; Chigurupati Venkata 3-64) by 103 runs

Temporary health workers protest around Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul's car, demand a salary hike

Digital Desk | Kolkata, Sep 21 (IANS) A section of temporary health workers protested around the car of West Bengals Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul on Monday, demanding a hike in their salary. In the morning, the state minister joined the anti-dengue campaign in the Chitpur area of north Kolkata. While leaving the programme, a section of temporary health workers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) protested around her car. The protesters demanded a salary increase. The state minister said that she will look into the demands of the health workers. The minister said that a decision will be taken considering the poor financial condition of the state. In Agnimitra's words, They get only Rs 303 per day. We will try to increase the salary. No one's salary has been stopped. No one's salary will be stopped during this new government's tenure. Rather, it will increase. At the same time, the state minister added, We will have to take a decision after seeing the state's treasury. The previous government has incurred debts. We are giving women Rs 3,000 per month. There are also many projects currently underway. We will also have to look at the state's treasury before taking a decision in this regard. Meanwhile, regarding the dengue awareness campaign in the city, she said, Everyone should be careful not to allow water to accumulate anywhere near the house or roadside. Because dengue mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Even if iron, nails or other materials used in building a house are left for a long time, water can accumulate there. Therefore, action will be taken if construction materials are left on the roadside or anywhere else. The Minister gave a clear message that if the rules are not followed, in addition to fines, those materials can also be confiscated if necessary. She warned of hefty fines in this regard. According to her, awareness and active cooperation of the general public, along with the administration, is also very important in preventing dengue. Agnimitra Paul said that last year the number of dengue cases in Kolkata was 585. So far this year, the number has been 539. However, she said that the goal is to reduce this number to zero.

Gill not a man of many words, but is clear and very authoritative in speaking: Holder

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Describing India ODI skipper Shubman Gill as a leader who may not speak much but commands total clarity and authority in demanding what he wants from his team, West Indies seam-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder praised the young captain's calm demeanour while also rating Virat Kohli as arguably the best one-day batsman to ever play the game. West Indies are scheduled to arrive in India for playing a three-match ODI series starting on September 27. Though Holder has been rested from the trip, he shared some insights on Gills leadership style, based on playing under him for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. I've played under Shubman. He's a leader. He's not a man of many words, but when he does speak, he's very clear, he's very authoritative as to what he's demanding of the team. He brings a level of calmness and poise, which is always a good trait to have as a leader. Those are things that I really respect about him and loved when I played under him. He's obviously new into his tenure as captain too, so he'll be learning on the job, and no doubt he'll be asking a lot of his players. His senior players have to come up to him and help him out. It's a similar situation with us, too, where Shai has been in the role for a while, but he's still learning on the job, too. It's a never-ending learning curve where, as a leader, as a player, there's never enough information. You're always trying to grab as much as you possibly can to get better. So, Shubman is no different, and I'm looking forward to seeing him, looking forward to playing against him, and I'm expecting a really good contest between both teams, Holder said to JioStar. Highlighting Gills tactical trust in his bowling unit, Holder revealed that the right-handed batter gives bowlers complete ownership over their field settings and plans. I don't know how to differentiate a bowler's captain from a batter's captain, but I could say that he's equally as soft and as giving with both bowlers and batters. I would just tell him what I wanted, we would have a conversation about it. That's primarily when it comes to field setting. He gave me the ownership and leadership to do it the way I wanted to, which is a strong asset for a captain. I never had any issues with Shubman, and he pretty much gave me free rein to set my fields and execute the plans I was looking to execute. It was always real open communication, and one where we shared enough and had that understanding. I really enjoyed playing with him, and hopefully, in years to come, we could continue to play together, he observed. Turning his focus to Indias seasoned duo of veteran batter Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Holder noted that the two stalwarts present a formidable challenge for any opposition in the 50-over format. When you look at Virat, he is arguably the best player, the best one-day batsman to ever play the game, and one of the best batters to ever play the game. Rohit, when you look at his outstanding one-day record, particularly against West Indies as well, he's done really well. So, the two stalwarts of Indian cricket and world cricket pack a heavy punch. I don't think we have anything in comparison to what they have. Our best batsman and greatest player is Shai Hope, who's done extremely well for himself as well. So, I would put him in that category as well. Three world-class players who've got world-class records, and I'm looking forward to seeing all three of them do battle. It's obviously a keen contest every time I match up against Virat, for example, and I like playing against Rohit because I see them as big players, and I like to get in a contest with big players, he said. Holder was also effusive in his praise for tall India speedster Gurnoor Brar, and recalled his initial thoughts upon watching the youngster bowl during their IPL 2026 stint at GT. He's got a lot of great attributes. When I first saw him run in and bowl, I actually had a quiet chat with Ashish (Nehra, head coach) as to how this guy wasn't playing. But, it's good to see his progress. Good to see him get an opportunity to play for India. He's got a lot of great attributes. Obviously, height is one with which he will be able to extract a bit more bounce; he's got pace, he does a bit with the ball, which I think is important in this day and age. Pace is still obviously in the game and is a massive asset, but skill has to go along with the pace, and he possesses skill as well as the pace. Those are solid attributes to have as a fast bowler, so I would expect him to be a challenge for us. Facing him in the nets and seeing him go about his business in the nets was quite entertaining. I look forward to seeing him not only play against us but have a pretty healthy career, he concluded.

CBI arrests Delhi engineer for taking Rs 1 lakh bribe to book Ramleela Mela ground

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The CBI arrested an executive engineer of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh for the allotment of a ground for Ramleela Mela in northeast Delhi, an official said on Monday. In subsequent searches, the probe agency recovered Rs 41 lakh in cash from the executive engineer Vedpal Meenas house, said the official in a statement. Meena, Executive Engineer, DUSIB, Seemapuri office, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 19 after laying a trap, the statement said. The CBI registered the case on September 19 against Meena based on a complaint from Nand Nagri resident Vijay Kumar, the statement said. It was alleged that the accused Executive Engineer, DUSIB, demanded a bribe of Rs 2.50 lakh from the complainant for allotment of ground for Ramleela Mela at Nand Nagri, Wazirabad, Delhi and agreed to accept the same in two instalments, the CBI said. The CBI laid a trap on September 19 and caught the accused Executive Engineer, DUSIB, red-handed while demanding and accepting the first instalment of Rs 1 Lakh from the complainant, the CBI said. Vijay Kumar gave a written complaint to the CBI against Meena on September 17. In his complaint, he said he approached the probe agency because he did not want to pay any bribe to book the ground for Ramleela Mela at E-1 Block, Nand Nagri, behind Gagan Cinema, Wazirabad Road, the CBI said. CBI Superintendent of Police I.B. Pendhari verified Vijay Kumar's complaint before approving the filing of an FIR against Meena. The discreet verification prima facie disclosed that Vedpal Meena, Executive Engineer, DUSIB, demanded undue advantage of Rs 2,50,000 and agreed to accept the same in two instalments - Rs 1 lakh as first instalment for allotting Ramleela Ground to the complainant, Pendhari noted in the file. The above-mentioned facts and discreet verification prima facie disclosed commission of offence punishable under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) on the part of Vedpal Meena, Executive Engineer, DUSIB. Therefore, a regular case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) is registered against him, said the CBI FIR.

YSRCP protest, teachers counter-protest at SAAP office spark tension

Digital Desk | Vijayawada, Sep 21 (IANS) The YSR Congress Party protest at the SAAP office here on Monday, demanding the resignation of Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Nara Lokesh over alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers, triggered tension as newly recruited teachers resorted to a counter-protest. The opposition party had called for a protest at the office of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) to highlight alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers under the sports quota and to demand Lokesh's resignation and a thorough CBI probe into Mega DSC. Teachers appointed under the sports quota also reached the SAAP office to counter what they called false propaganda against them and to submit a memorandum to the SAAP authorities. Both the groups raised slogans against each other and nearly came to blows. The area remained tense for nearly two hours. The teachers were inside the SAAP complex while YSRCP leaders staged a protest outside the gate. Police intervened to avert a clash by locking the gate. It detained several leaders and cadres of YSRCP. The opposition party alleged that workers of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), masquerading as teachers, attacked its cadres. Police erected barricades and prevented protesters from reaching the SAAP office, leading to tense scenes at Labbipet. Police resorted to a lathi-charge while dispersing YSRCP protesters, and several leaders and activists were detained, it said. YSRCP leaders said the protest was peaceful and questioned why the government was using police force instead of ordering an independent investigation into the recruitment process. Party PAC member and former Vinukonda MLA Bolla Brahmanaidu joined the protest and demanded a comprehensive CBI probe to establish the facts and ensure justice to deserving DSC candidates. The party said persons linked to the TDP entered the SAAP premises posing as teachers and attacked YSRCP activists and student-wing leaders with sticks, leaving several injured. YSRCP charged that police failed to prevent the clashes and instead used force against its workers. Police also stopped YSRCP leaders travelling to Vijayawada from different districts. Former minister Ambati Rambabu, Vanama Bala Vajrababu, Ambati Muralikrishna, Noori Fatima and others were intercepted near Kaza Toll Plaza and taken to Pedakakani Police Station. Jakkampudi Raja, Perni Krishna Murthy, Nagarjuna Yadav, and others were detained at Krishnalanka Police Station after participating in the DSC protest. YSRCP spokesperson Konda Rajiv said that instead of answering questions of aspirants, the coalition government misused police force to detain party leaders and cadres We would like to ask Chandrababu Naidu if Andhra Pradesh is under democratic rule or dictatorial Red Book rule. He alleged that the coalition government was following the agenda of evading evidence, intimidating dissenters and resorting to violence. Such repression cant bury the truth. We will intensify protest and fight hard in a better way until justice is delivered to each and every eligible and meritorious candidate and until and unless every culprit candidate is held accountable, he said.

Odisha: BJD seeks discussion on MMDR amendment ahead of monsoon session

Digital Desk | Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 (IANS) Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy on Monday convened an all-party meeting ahead of the upcoming session of the state Assembly, seeking cooperation from all parties to ensure the House functions smoothly. Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Leader of Opposition Prasanna Acharya, and other senior leaders from all parties attended the meeting. Speaking to media persons after the meeting, Opposition Chief Whip and senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Pramila Mallik said the Speaker discussed how to run the House smoothly during the nine-day monsoon session. She added, As the opposition, we, on behalf of the BJD, have demanded a discussion in the House on the losses suffered by the state due to the MMDR Amendment. We have submitted a motion demanding a detailed discussion on the issue. Mallik further demanded that the government either allow a discussion on the BJD's motion or hold a discussion by moving a motion of thanks. She said the Speaker had assured her of consideration, adding that the partys future course of action depends on the Speakers decision. Senior Congress MLA Ashok Das noted that his party will raise issues concerning Odishas interests, including the MMDR Amendment Act, and seek discussions on the floor of the House during the upcoming monsoon session. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the state government is ready to discuss issues raised in the Assembly. He added that the Speaker appealed to all members to ensure that the Assembly functions smoothly and peacefully. Whatever Bills and issues come up during the session should be discussed constructively, Mahaling said. He said the Assembly had so far received notices for six Bills. However, the Assemblys Advisory Committee would decide the priority of the Bills and allocate time for discussion. On the MMDR Amendment Act, Mahaling said a motion had been submitted to the Speaker seeking a discussion. The matter is under the jurisdiction of the Speaker. The Speaker will decide the priority and the form in which the discussion will be allowed. Whatever form the Speaker permits, we are ready to discuss it, he said. The Odisha Assemblys seventh session of the 17th Assembly is scheduled to begin on September 22 and continue until October 3.

Ex-MLA questions killing of top Jharkhand Maoist Brijesh Ganjhu, seeks CBI probe

Digital Desk | Ranchi, Sep 21 (IANS) The brother of slain Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) chief Brijesh Ganjhu has questioned the killing of his brother in an encounter in Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi. He alleged that the operation was fake and demanded a probe by the CBI into the incident. Ganesh Ganjhu, former MLA from Simaria and brother of Brijesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, on Monday claimed that the Maoist leader was picked up from Jharkhand's Chatra district and later taken to Uttar Pradesh, where he was killed as part of a conspiracy. He urged Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to order an impartial CBI probe into the circumstances surrounding his brother's death. According to the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), Brajesh Ganjhu was killed in an encounter in Varanasi on Sunday morning. He carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh by the Jharkhand government and an additional Rs 5 lakh by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The body of the slain extremist reached his native village, Luttu Sohawan, under Lawalong police station limits in Chatra district on Monday. Speaking to reporters, Ganesh Ganjhu questioned the police version of the encounter. He raised doubts over the claim that Brajesh, who was allegedly riding a motorcycle when intercepted by police in Varanasi's Ramnagar area, opened fire on the security team. If he was riding the motorcycle, how could he fire from two pistols simultaneously? he asked, demanding an independent inquiry into the incident. Police, however, have maintained that Brajesh fired at the team during the operation and was injured in retaliatory action. He later succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead by doctors at a hospital. The former legislator also levelled serious allegations against the Jharkhand Police, claiming that his brother was first used in operations against Maoists and was later eliminated. He warned of a phased agitation if the government failed to act on the demand for an investigation. Ganesh Ganjhu further described his brother as an active participant in social welfare activities. He said Brajesh had been an elected panchayat representative since 2010 and had worked extensively for the poor, helping several underprivileged families, including supporting the marriages of girls from economically weaker sections. He also claimed that Brajesh had established the Gopal Singh Bhokta Inter College in Lawalong. The former MLA said that tackling Naxalism requires addressing its underlying causes and socio-economic factors rather than relying solely on security operations.

Indias earnings breadth widens, valuations improve: Report

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Indias Q1 FY27 corporate earnings hit tenquarter high and foreign institutional investors in August returned with their strongest monthly inflow since September 2024, a report said on Monday, even as equity valuation comfort improves. Indian equities are no longer uniformly expensive, with large-cap valuation comfort improving even as pockets of the broader market stay demanding. India's valuation premium to emerging markets has compressed to 20 per cent, near a decade low, the report from PL Asset Management said. Nifty PAT grew at its fastest pace in 10 consecutive quarters, prompting many brokerages to raise FY27 estimates, while the mid-cap PAT grew even higher up 20 per cent YoY, small-cap PAT up nearly 28 per cent Mid and smallcap stocks led gains even as the Nifty 50 slipped 1.24 per cent amid a hawkish Fed, a surging gold price and an Nvidia-led revival in global AI sentiment. Sector leadership was broad: capital goods, autos, metals, financials and healthcare all beat, while IT, chemicals and real estate lagged, the report said. That breadth doesn't happen by accident; it reflects a genuinely running investment cycle, with Gross Fixed Capital Formation growing 11.9 per cent in real terms, said Siddharth Vora, Head Quant Investment Strategies & Fund Manager, PL Asset Management. Domestic institutional investors extended a 38month net buying streak in August while foreign institutional investors' huge inflow helped offset roughly Rs 2.1 lakh crore of selling earlier in the year. Stocks with meaningful foreign holding have grown from 900 to 1,300 over four years, even as aggregate foreign ownership sits near a multi-year low as a share of market cap rotation and re-engagement rather than a wholesale return, leaving more room than usual for incremental buying to move price, the report noted.

Tribal welfare scam: Karnataka CM says his govt forced an innocent person to resign

Digital Desk | Bengaluru, Sep 21 (IANS) Referring to the resignation of Congress MLA B. Nagendra as a cabinet minister in connection with the Tribal Welfare scam, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday said that the government had been forced to make an innocent person resign due to pressure from the Opposition and criticised BJP MLAs for disrupting the Assembly instead of allowing discussions on the issues they had raised. He made the statement in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly while defending the decision to call a special session to discuss the drought situation and the Kasturirangan Report. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka insisted that these matters should be discussed under the Adjournment Motion he had submitted to the Speaker. Referring to the resignation of Nagendra, Shivakumar said in the Assembly, We have forced an innocent to resign because of pressure from the Opposition. I forced him to resign. I asked the Opposition why they were demanding his resignation. They did not speak and disrupted the House. Later, they also took out a protest march. Let them do it; in a democracy, it is allowed. Shivakumar maintained that there was no need for an Adjournment Motion as the government had already convened the special session to discuss the same issues. Ashoka questioned the government on the provision under which the special session had been called and said there was no such provision under the law. Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the Opposition had submitted the Adjournment Motion only now, while the government had already called the special session to discuss the same issues. Shivakumar said the Opposition had disrupted the previous Monsoon Session and had not allowed him to speak for even a minute. He said the Opposition had submitted a written request to discuss the drought situation but had subsequently disrupted the proceedings, forcing the government to curtail the session by two days. Now, I have called a special session. Before that, I have visited various districts regarding the drought and the Kasturirangan report. Our stand on the Kasturirangan report has to be conveyed to the Centre by September 27. Considering all this, the special session has been called, he said. Shivakumar said he could have simply sent the previous report to the Centre, but wanted the issues to be discussed by elected representatives rather than allowing it to become his personal decision. The drought and Kasturirangan report must be discussed in the session. The session has been called in accordance with the wishes of the people, he said. He said meetings had been held in the four divisions of the state, including Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Chitradurga, with legislators to discuss the issues. Shivakumar said 120 taluks had already been declared drought-affected, while another 100 taluks were being verified for possible inclusion. He also said the impact of the Kasturirangan report on farmers had been brought to his notice by legislators and described the possible consequences as serious. MPs, MLAs and MLCs were called, and meetings were held, he said. Shivakumar further said the demand for the special session had not come from the Opposition and that the government had itself decided to convene it. It is good that the Opposition has brought an Adjournment Motion on the same matter. The Adjournment Motion is not needed. I am here to take your opinion on the matter. You can discuss the matter under any provision and for as long as required. The special session has already been called, he said.

Ram Mandir Donation Theft Case: SIT Identifies All Accused, Chargesheet By Sept 25

The Supreme Court on Monday took note of the progress made in the investigation into the alleged theft of Ram Mandir donation money and valuables. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case submitted its latest status report before a bench

NC, BJP Disrupted House to Silence Kashmirs Voice: Muntazir Mehdi

Srinagar, Sep 21: In a scathing crtique of the National Conference-BJP combine, Budgam MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi on Monday alleged that both parties had conspired to disrupt Assembly proceedings, deliberately preventing the legitimate grievances of the people of Jammu and Kashmir from being aired on the floor of the House. Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, MLA Mehdi charged that the ruling dispensation had orchestrated the disruption of House proceedings to ensure that critical issues including the contentious reservation policy, the plight of intern doctors, the demands of NHM employees, and the concerns of daily wagers were never taken up for discussion. The institutional marginalization of Kashmiri Muslims is underway, Mehdi said, pointing to what he described as a calculated demographic sleight of hand in the reservation framework. A community that constitutes 60% of the population has been reduced to a mere 14% share in the reservation matrix. This is not an administrative oversight it is deliberate marginalization. The Budgam legislator revealed that an adjournment motion had been moved first thing in the morning, specifically to bring these pressing public issues to the immediate attention of the House. However, he alleged, coordinated disruptions ensured the motion never received its due hearing. From the very first day, the National Conference and the BJP made it abundantly clear that the sentiments and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have no place in this Assembly, Mehdi stated, adding that the pattern of conduct left little room for doubt about the intent of both parties. Mehdi drew a sharp contrast between the unrest outside the Assembly and the proceedings within it. Across Jammu and Kashmir, he noted, people are protesting across multiple fronts agitating over reservation policies, demanding justice for contractual healthcare workers, and seeking regularization of daily wage employees. Our people are on the streets. They are protesting. They are raising their voices. And what did this House do today? It was wrecked deliberately wrecked so that not a single one of their voices could find representation here, he said.

Bomb threat email names Somnath temple, Gujarat BJP offices; searches find nothing suspicious

Digital Desk | Ahmedabad/Gir Somnath, Sep 21 (IANS) A bomb-threat email naming the Somnath Temple and BJP offices in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar triggered a security alert across Gujarat on Monday, prompting searches by police, bomb detection and disposal teams and dog squads, officials said. The threat mentioned the BJP office in Ahmedabad's Khanpur area, the party's state office, Kamalam, at Koba in Gandhinagar, and the Somnath Temple. Police said no suspicious object was found during searches at the locations. Ahmedabad C-Division ACP Adwait Gandhi said the State Intelligence Bureau in Gandhinagar received the input around 9 a.m., following which the Khanpur BJP office was thoroughly checked, and additional police deployment was put in place. At 9 a.m., we received an input from the State Intelligence Bureau in Gandhinagar. According to that, there was a threat of a bomb blast at the BJP Central Office in Khanpur. We informed the BDTS and had the entire premises checked, and police deployment has also been put in place. The situation is normal, Gandhi said. He confirmed that the Somnath Temple and BJP office at Koba had also been named in the threat. Nothing suspicious has been found. The situation is normal, he said. Gandhi said there was no need for panic and added that police are carrying out their duties. I do not have information about the origin of the email at this stage and action had been taken on the basis of the intelligence input, he noted. At the Khanpur office, police, fire brigade personnel and bomb and dog squad teams conducted a detailed search. City BJP president Prerak Shah said the party was informed that intelligence agencies had received an email threatening to blow up the office. Based on that, both the police and bomb squad arrived here. The entire Khanpur BJP office was searched, and nothing objectionable or suspicious was found here, Shah said. At Somnath, Deputy SP M.F. Chaudhary said the police received the threat email in the morning and the entire police force was placed on alert on the instructions and guidance of the Superintendent of Police. He said the temple has dedicated security personnel working round the clock and that devotees normally undergo two-layer frisking and checking. Electronic gadgets and other prohibited items are not allowed inside the temple premises. In view of today's situation, we put our other district branches, including the LCB, Special Operation Group, BDS and QRT, on alert and had the entire temple premises searched. The BDS searched the temple premises but found no suspicious objects, he said. The latest threat comes amid a series of similar email-based bomb scares in Gujarat. Earlier this month, threats were received by courts, schools and the Gujarat Assembly, while separate threats on September 15 and 17 reportedly named courts, Mahatma Mandir and port facilities. Searches in those cases also did not result in the recovery of explosives. Gujarat Police had also recently arrested two men in connection with an alleged interstate network involved in sending hoax bomb-threat emails. Investigators recovered details of 513,847 Gmail accounts and passwords allegedly linked to the network. Police are examining whether the latest threat has any connection with that network.

Ram Mandir donation theft case: SIT identifies all accused, chargesheet to be filed by September 25

The Ram Mandir donation theft case came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) presented its status report on the investigation before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

Main Kremlin party keeps control of Russia's parliament after a carefully orchestrated vote

Russias ruling United Russia party is set to retain a commanding majority in parliament, with preliminary results giving it about 355 of 450 State Duma seats. The vote, the first parliamentary election since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was held amid tight restrictions on opposition and also included Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, which Kyiv rejected as illegal.

Asian Games 2026: Indian men's badminton outplays Bangladesh to enter quarterfinals

The Indian men's badminton team secured a dominant 3-0 victory against Bangladesh. Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, and K Srikkanth won their respective matches without dropping games. This commanding performance propelled the team into the Asian Games quarterfinals. They are now scheduled to face hosts Japan in the next stage. The women's team will also compete against Japan in their quarterfinal match.

Open display of anti-Ahmadi banners in Pakistan sparks concern over safety of religious minority

Digital Desk | London, Sep 21 (IANS) A leading international human rights organisation expressed grave concern over the open display of hostile and discriminatory banners targeting the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community across Sargodha district in Pakistans Punjab province. The rights group warned that such incidents could fuel further hostility against the already persecuted religious minority community. Citing reports, the UK-based International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) said that several such banners were put up along Sargodha University Road, with some portraying Ahmadis as disloyal to Pakistan, demanding their removal from positions of responsibility and calling for their complete boycott. One prominently displayed banner carried the English words: We hate Qadianiyat ( a religious slur). Video footage from Sargodha also showed anti-Ahmadi banners erected prominently along public roads. The banners are not merely expressions of theological disagreement. Calls for people to boycott an identifiable religious community, exclude its members from society and remove them from positions of responsibility contribute to an environment in which Ahmadis can face discrimination in their everyday lives. The fact that such material has reportedly been displayed openly along a major public road raises serious questions about the response of local and provincial authorities, the IHRC stated. Highlighting that such anti-Ahmadi calls are not without precedent in the Sargodha region, the rights body noted that previous documented incidents in the Silwanwali region of Sargodha district included anti-Ahmadi rallies, calls for members of the public to refrain from doing business with Ahmadis, and demands for their social boycott. The IHRC cited Pakistan's National Commission for Human Rights, which documented incidents of boycott campaigns against Ahmadis, including calls to deny them groceries and medical treatment, expel Ahmadi students and teachers, and terminate land leases. The Commission also documented interference with Ahmadi religious worship in Sargodha. These documented examples demonstrate the potentially serious consequences when campaigns of religious exclusion move beyond rhetoric and begin affecting education, employment, commerce, healthcare and religious life, the IHRC stated. The rights body referred to UN human-rights mechanisms that have repeatedly raised concerns over violence, harassment, hate speech and attacks against religious minorities, including Ahmadis across Pakistan. Whatever an individual's religious beliefs may be, no citizen should face violence, intimidation, discrimination or exclusion because of their faith. The authorities have a responsibility to ensure that Ahmadis and all other religious communities are afforded effective protection and that credible allegations of unlawful incitement, threats or discrimination are properly investigated, it stressed. The IHRC urged the international community to scrutinise Pakistan's implementation of its international human-rights commitments and ensure that the safety and fundamental rights of vulnerable religious communities remain part of bilateral and multilateral engagement. Hatred displayed openly in public spaces must not be allowed to develop into discrimination, intimidation or violence, it added.

J&K Assembly ruckus: BJP stages protest demanding justice for NHM employees

On the opening day of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assemblys autumn session on Monday, BJP legislators staged a protest inside the House. The MLAs raised several key demands, including the rollback of electricity tariff hikes, regularisation of daily wage workers, and job security for National Health Mission (NHM) employees.

Sopore congestion: Rs 1,000 crore DPR prepared, funding being explored, says Dy CM

Srinagar, Sep 21: The Jammu and Kashmir government has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) estimated at 1,000 crore to tackle traffic congestion in Sopore town and its Fruit Mandi, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said on Monday, adding that the government was exploring funding options with different agencies, including the Centre. Replying to questions in the Assembly, Choudhary described the demand for decongesting Sopore as a very serious issue and a very genuine demand. He said recommendations had been made by the concerned MLA for road works aimed at easing congestion, while Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar and Baramulla Deputy Commissioner had separately reviewed the issue. Whether it is Sopore Fruit Mandi or Sopore town, or the other roads, a complete DPR of 1,000 crore has been prepared, Choudhary said. He said the size of the proposed project meant that the government was discussing the proposal with various agencies and examining how much funding could be provided by the J&K government. We are also trying with the Government of India to see whether some projects can be included there, so that the congestion in Sopore city can be removed and the people of Sopore can get relief from this problem of traffic jams, he said. Choudhary, however, said the project would take time until the required funding was arranged. 1,000 crore is a very large amount, he said. But still, the government will try to do what we want to do for these people. However, for now, it will take time until the amount can be arranged. The Deputy Chief Minister also defended the government's approach to questions raised by opposition members during Question Hour, saying ministers were present in the House with the relevant files and were ready to respond to issues concerning employees and public services. Whether it is NHM, daily wagers, NYCs, or any issue related to electricity, water, roads or schools, ministers are sitting here ready to answer each one, he said. He alleged that BJP members were unwilling to hear the government's responses and were in the Assembly primarily to generate news. They have come here to make news, but the people are watching them, Choudhary said, appealing to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to see their real face. Recent reporting has also documented Choudhary's comments on employee-related issues, including NHM workers, as the government faces demands over regularisation and service conditions. The government has previously reviewed proposals involving Sopore's mandi expansion, road infrastructure, parking facilities and other measures aimed at addressing congestion.

Garos in Khasi Hills ask for DSC language provision

Shillong, Sep 20: The District Selection Committee (DSC) language provision has triggered discontent among certain Garo residents in Khasi Hills, with community bodies on Saturday demanding that both Garo and Khasi be offered as options for candidates in the region. More than 2,000 people gathered at Sildubi Mini Playground at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills [] The post Garos in Khasi Hills ask for DSC language provision first appeared on Highland Post .

The One To Watch Out For: Fans React To Vidya Balan's Powerful Kantha Look In Jailer 2

Vidya Balan makes a commanding entrance in the newly released glimpse

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons Crowned Cpl 2026 Champions After Eight-Wicket Final Victory

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons were crowned Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions for the first time after defeating the Jamaica Kingsmen by eight wickets at the Kensington Oval. An unbeaten 89-run partnership between Amir Jangoo and Hasan Nawaz completed the Falcons historic triumph after another sensational spell from Sufyan Moqim, who claimed 4 for 14 to set up the chase. Maaz Sadaqats second century of the season ultimately counted for little as the Kingsmen fell short despite posting 170 for 9. Sent in to bat, the Kingsmen immediately signalled their intent in the Power Play, with Sadaqat launching Jayden Seales into the stands from the first ball. Seales, however, struck back at the end of the over when Kirk McKenzie was sharply caught by Rahkeem Cornwall in the slips. Keacy Carty joined Sadaqat at the crease, with the pair having already played starring roles in the play-offs. They looked to make the most of the Power Play and appeared to be building another formidable partnership, but Carty soon punched one straight to Shadab Khan at cover, with the Falcons all-rounder taking a sharp catch. Cornwall came close to adding another wicket when Saim Ayub was initially given out lbw, but a faint glove edge overturned the decision on review to give the Kingsmen opener a reprieve. The Kingsmen ended the Power Play on 59 for 2, just one run short of the landmark ten runs an over. Sadaqat continued his sensational play-off form, racing to his half-century from just 27 balls. But the Falcons had displayed impressive bowling depth throughout the tournament, and they unleashed their in-form spinner Moqim to turn the game on its head. The left-arm spinner struck immediately, removing Ayub and Rovman Powell in his first over. Shadab then joined the party by dismissing Romaine Morris, before Moqim claimed his third wicket by removing Hassan Khan. The Kingsmen suddenly found themselves in deep trouble, losing four wickets for just three runs in the space of 12 deliveries. Moqim and Shadab were ripping through the middle order, just as they had done against the Guyana Amazon Warriors earlier in the play-offs. But the Kingsmen refused to surrender, and with Sadaqat still at the crease, their innings remained alive. The right-hander once again took centre stage, powering towards a second century of the season with a sensational display of 360-degree hitting. He reached the first century in a CPL final from just 49 balls, adding another 14 runs before falling on the penultimate delivery of the innings. His magnificent knock propelled the Kingsmen to 170 for 9 from their 20 overs. The Falcons reply got off to a flying start, with Rahkeem Cornwall smashing 20 runs from the first over before being bowled by the final delivery. Cornwalls explosive start allowed Evin Lewis and Amir Jangoo to balance aggression with caution during the Power Play. Lewis survived a second chance when Andre Russell overstepped, and he responded by shifting through the gears. The final over of the Power Play produced 17 runs as the Falcons raced to 76 for 1 after six overs. The Kingsmen soon found a breakthrough when Lewis chopped on to his stumps off Vitel Lawes, but the wicket only seemed to inspire Jangoo. Joined by Hasan Nawaz, Jangoo built a composed and increasingly dominant partnership that kept the Falcons comfortably ahead of the required rate, which sat just above a run a ball. Jangoo brought up his half-century with the partnership already past 50, leaving the Falcons firmly in control heading into the final five overs. With the target within touching distance, Nawaz put the finishing touch on a commanding team performance, launching the winning runs over the boundary for six and sending his teammates sprinting onto the field in celebration. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories The Falcons reached 173 for 2 with 20 balls to spare, completing a memorable eight-wicket victory and securing the first CPL title in the history of the Antigua & Barbuda franchise.

403 roads, bridges in Rajouri to be restored at Rs 185 crore: Omar Abdullah in assembly

Srinagar, Sep 21: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said 3.21 crore in relief had been disbursed among families affected by flash floods and landslides in Rajouri, while a 185 crore proposal had been prepared for the permanent restoration of 403 damaged roads and bridges in the district. Replying to a question in the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly session, Omar said 149 family-wise cases seeking relief under SDRF norms had been received in connection with damage caused by the recent flash floods and landslides in Rajouri constituency. An amount of 40 lakhs and 61,500 has been disbursed as relief to the affected families in Rajouri constituency in accordance with the prescribed SDRF norms, he said. He added that 2.81 crore had also been released to Rajouri district from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. In addition, financial assistance amounting to 2.81 crore was released to district Rajouri from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for providing relief to the families affected by the flash floods and the damages caused thereby, Omar said. The said financial assistance has been duly disbursed among the affected families in accordance with the approved norms, he added. On damage to roads and bridges, the chief minister said a preliminary assessment had been completed and a proposal for permanent restoration had been prepared. A preliminary assessment of damages to roads and bridges in district Rajouri has been made and a proposal for permanent restoration of 403 roads, bridges has been formed up at a cost of 185 crore, he said. The Power Development Department assessed damage of 27.99 crore to electrical infrastructure in Rajouri district following heavy rains and flash floods in July 2026. Of this, 9.39 crore was assessed for the Rajouri Assembly constituency. Omar said temporary restoration of power had been carried out through the installation of an Emergency Restoration System (ERS) tower on the 132 KV double-circuit Rajouri-Draba transmission line. The site temporary restoration of power was carried out by the installation of ERS tower in the 132 KV DC Rajouri Draba transmission line, he said. Further, for permanent restoration of the 132 KV DC Rajouri Draba transmission line, the tendering is under progress. The government also assessed damage to crops in Rajouri constituency during the Kharif 2026 season through field-level verification. According to the assessment placed before the House, maize was affected across 406 hectares, with 15% damage, while paddy damage was assessed at 65% across 101.5 hectares. The government also submitted details of damage to municipal assets, PHE infrastructure, flood-control infrastructure and roads and buildings under the Housing and Urban Development, Jal Shakti and Public Works departments. Separately, 1.25 crore was received under SDRF for temporary restoration of power supply in Rajouri district. The constituency-wise allocation included 57.6 lakh for Rajouri, 43.4 lakh for Thanamandi and 10.5 lakh for Budhal.

Psychology explains how US Navy SEAL training builds resilience - even when motivation runs out

US Navy SEAL training reveals resilience is not innate but can develop. Psychological traits like hardiness and grit adapt during demanding conditions. Viewing stress as enhancing improves performance and perseverance among candidates. Goal-setting and emotional control become vital when motivation wanes. True resilience involves adaptation and regulating reactions, not just persistence.

Suspected Drug Peddler Arrested in South Kashmir; Contraband Recovered

SRINAGAR: Police in Anantnag district arrested a suspected drug peddler and recovered charas and ganja from his possession in the Ashajipora area on Monday, officials said. The accused was identified as Muzaffar Ahmad Sheikh, son of Gh. Hassan Sheikh, a resident of Nazuk Mohalla, Ganjiwara. Police said a team from Police Post Janglatmandi intercepted him []

Indian Agriculture Minister Suspends Official Over Bribery Allegations

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan suspends an official for demanding bribes during inspections in Sehore district. Indian Agriculture Minister Suspends Official Over Bribery Allegations

Sonaselection India IPO Day 3: Check GMP, subscription status and key details

Sonaselection India IPO entered its final day of bidding after garnering 90% subscription on Day 2. The issue received bids for 90.52 lakh shares against 1 crore shares on offer, with retail investors subscribing 1.29 times their allotted portion. In the grey market, the IPO is commanding a GMP of around 2%, signalling a modest premium over the issue price, though GMP is unofficial and does not guarantee the listing price.

Shiv Sena-UBT Criticizes Maharashtra Government Over Farmer Crisis Amid Drought

Shiv Sena-UBT accuses Maharashtra government of neglecting farmers suffering from drought, demanding urgent action and relief measures. Shiv Sena-UBT Criticizes Maharashtra Government Over Farmer Crisis Amid Drought

India Dominates Pakistan 3-0 in Table Tennis at 2026 Asian Games

The Indian table tennis team secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Pakistan, advancing to the quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games. India Dominates Pakistan 3-0 in Table Tennis at 2026 Asian Games

JMC Commissioner initiates redevelopment work at Parade Vegetable Market

Jammu, Sep 20: Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and CEO, Jammu Smart City, Dr. Devansh Yadav on Sunday visited the Old Vegetable Market at Parade and initiated the redevelopment work, marking the beginning of a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at transforming the historic market into a cleaner, more organised and modern trading space. During his visit, the Vegetable Market Association welcomed the Commissioner and expressed its support for the redevelopment initiative. Interacting with traders and members of the association, Dr. Yadav assured those present that the work had commenced and would be completed as soon as possible. He said the redevelopment would provide improved facilities for vendors and visitors, enhance hygiene standards and create a more efficient and customer-friendly market environment. The redevelopment project, with an estimated DPR cost of 5.88 crore, aims to transform the existing mandi through modern infrastructure, upgraded civic amenities and a well-planned layout. The project is expected to improve market functionality, accessibility, sanitation and the overall shopping experience. As part of the redevelopment, a spacious Mild Steel (MS) covered shed will be constructed to provide weather-protected vending space for traders. The facility will accommodate 117 vendor platforms, each measuring 1.8 metres 2.1 metres, ensuring systematic and orderly market operations. The shed area will be developed with Kota stone flooring, while the vendor platforms will feature granite cladding and granite tops to ensure durability, hygiene and ease of maintenance. The project also envisages the construction of 44 permanent commercial shop blocks, each measuring 2.4 metres 2.7 metres, to support vegetable vendors and allied businesses in a structured retail setting. To improve sanitation and cleanliness, the existing drainage network will be strengthened and rehabilitated to minimise waterlogging and ensure efficient disposal of wastewater within the mandi premises. The redevelopment plan further includes a redesigned main entry gate with sandstone cladding, enhancing the visual appeal and identity of the market. Modern public amenities, including separate toilet blocks for men and women and drinking water cooler units, will also be installed for the convenience of traders and visitors. The internal movement and circulation areas will be developed using Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) to withstand regular pedestrian movement and light vehicular traffic, ensuring long-term durability and reduced maintenance requirements. Dr. Yadav said the redevelopment had been conceived to improve market functionality through an organised layout, better accessibility, enhanced safety and efficient civic infrastructure. He added that the upgraded facilities would significantly improve hygiene standards and provide a cleaner, safer and more convenient environment for the handling and sale of fresh produce. The initiation of work at the Parade Vegetable Market marks an important step towards the planned modernisation of one of Jammus oldest and busiest markets, with the JMC committed to completing the redevelopment at the earliest possible time.

CBI arrests SDAO, 2 others in bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three persons, including a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO) of the J&K Agriculture Department, an Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA) and a private individual, in connection with an alleged bribery racket involving the release of subsidy under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The arrested accused, according to the CBI, have been identified as Rajan Sharma, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO), Agriculture Department, Government of J&K; Abhilashi Sharma, Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA), Agriculture Department and Ashok Kumar, a private person. According to the CBI, the case was registered on September 19, 2026, following allegations that SDAO Rajan Sharma had demanded a Rs 35,000 bribe from a complainant for releasing his subsidy under the HADP scheme. The CBI maintained that the SDAO directed the complainant to hand over the demanded bribe either to the Agricultural Extension Assistant or to the private person. Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught AEA Abhilashi Sharma and private person Ashok Kumar red-handed while allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 15,000 from the complainant. The agency subsequently arrested SDAO Rajan Sharma from his residence in connection with the case. The arrests have brought under scrutiny the alleged demand for illegal gratification in connection with the disbursement of government agricultural subsidy, with the CBI continuing its investigation to establish the full sequence of events and the role of the accused, the investigative agency said, adding that further investigation was continuing.

Lt Gen P K Mishra relinquishing command of White Knight Corps on Oct 1

General Officer Commanding (GOC), Lieutenant General P K Mishra is relinquishing the command of Nagrota-based White Knight (16) Corps of the Indian Army on October 1, 2026. Lieutenant General Mohit Seth, presently serving as Commandant, Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT), Indian Armys training establishment in Bhutan, will succeed him as the GOC XVI Corps. On April 1, 2025, Lt Gen Mishra had taken over the command of 16 Corps strategically one of the very crucial Corps of the Indian Army. He was recently conferred the prestigious Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) by the President Droupadi Murmu at the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2026 (phase II). Lt Gen Mishra, also a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) and Seva Medal (SM), had succeeded Lieutenant General Navin Sachdeva. Prior to taking over as GOC 16 Corps, Lt Gen Mishra was heading IMTRAT in Bhutan. There also, he was relieved of the charge by Lt Gen Mohit Seth as new Commandant, IMTRAT. Lt Gen Seth, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the National Defence college (NDC), was commissioned into the 3 Madras Regiment in 1991. Previously, he also served as General Officer Commanding of the Kilo Force of Army in J&K. In his distinguished military career spanning over three decades, he held various prestigious staff and command appointments in J&K, North East and at Army Headquarter. He has also served as Indian Army Liaison Officer, High Commission of India, United Kingdom.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan to join BJPs Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra in Punjab today

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will visit Punjab on Monday for a one-day trip, where he will participate in the BJPs Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra (Drug-Free Punjab Campaign). During his visit, Chouhan will pay obeisance at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo before joining the BJPs campaign against drug abuse. At 10:00 a.m., he is scheduled to inaugurate and participate in the Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra at Dana Mandi, located at Ravidasia Chowk in Talwandi Sabo. The Union minister will also address a public meeting in Maisarkhana and hold a direct dialogue with farmers and women associated with self-help groups in Bathinda. His participation comes as the four-day campaign enters its final leg, with the yatra scheduled to reach Bathinda and conclude the BJPs state-wide outreach programme. The BJP launched the mega Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra on September 18, with the campaign covering different parts of Punjab. BJP national President Nitin Nabin flagged off the first march from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Pathankot district earlier on Friday. The second yatra was on September 19 from Fatehgarh Sahib and was flagged off by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The third yatra was held on September 20 from the Sadiki border in Fazilka, near the Asafwala 1971 War Memorial, and was flagged off by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The four-day yatra began in Pathankot and is scheduled to conclude in Bathinda, covering key districts across the state. The campaign is centred on the issue of drug abuse, which has remained a significant concern and a prominent subject of political discourse in Punjab. Through the yatra, the BJP is seeking to raise awareness about the adverse impact of drugs and highlight its vision and proposed approach for creating a drug-free Punjab. The participation of senior BJP leaders, including Chouhan, is expected to add political momentum to the campaign while strengthening the partys organisational network and public outreach across the state.

2 years on, no work on Anantnags 249-bed maternity, child hospital

Srinagar, Sep 20:Nearly two years after the proposed 249-bed Maternal and Child Care Hospital was announced for Anantnag, construction has yet to begin, as the revised project report awaits approval and funding. In November 2024, the Health and Medical Education Department (H&ME) directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the hospital at Government Medical College, MAMB Janglatmandi, and fast-track the project. The initial DPR, estimated at Rs 86.5 crore, was submitted to the Finance Department under the NABARD Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF-XXXI). It was returned for clarification on the funding source and inclusion of furniture and furnishings. PWD later revised the project cost to Rs 94.44 crore. The revised project cost is Rs 94.44 crore, Superintending Engineer (SE) Syed Ishfaq Ahmad said. He said the revised DPR was forwarded to the Principal of GMC Anantnag on April 1. A GMC official said the proposal was in turn forwarded to the Health Secretary in April, with copies sent to the Finance Secretary and Director of Health Services. Officials said NABARD remains the proposed funding source, while administrative approval and fund release are pending. About 4.5 Kanals of land was initially demarcated within the Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg Memorial (MAMB) Hospital premises at Janglatmandi, with the proposed facility to be connected to Block A. The idea was to bring maternity and child care services under one roof at GMC Janglatmandi, an official said. Other sites considered include the GMC main campus at Dialgam, the existing Sherbagh site after dismantling the dilapidated MCCH structures, and Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital at Sarnal, KP road. A senior doctor said the MAMB campus at Janglatmandi already has limited space, with a nursing home, oxygen plants and several centrally funded projects behind the main A, B and C blocks. The critical care unit is also under construction. A proposed oncology block and a sewage treatment plant are also planned there. There is hardly any room for expansion, the doctor said. The new hospital must be planned for the next hundred years, not just the next few, he said. The government told the Assembly during the February budget session that Rs 5 crore had been earmarked for the project under the 2025-26 CAPEX budget. It said the project could also be taken up under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme in 2026-27. Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo recently said construction would begin once the land was finalised. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already sanctioned and allocated funds under NABARD for the new maternity and child care hospital, she said, adding that the land had to be within the GMC-MAMB Janglatmandi premises. I have directed officials to identify the land at the earliest. Officials, however, said no funds had been released. Sherbagh hospital remains overcrowded The existing maternity hospital at Sherbagh continues to operate despite being declared unsafe by the PWD and Fire and Emergency Services in 2014. The hospital handles more than 40,000 outpatient visits and about 7,000 admissions each month. Built for 40 beds, it now operates far beyond capacity, with two labour rooms, four surgical wards and one operation theatre. In many cases, two to three patients share a single bed, a doctor said. The paediatric section was shifted to MAMB GMC Anantnag last year after repeated fires in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) caused electrical faults. A 2015 blaze damaged the outpatient department (OPD), including the gynaecology, obstetrics and paediatric sections. In March 2022, a gas leak triggered a fire that injured 12 people, including two children. The building is not safe to run the maternity hospital at all, Itoo said. Rehmat-e-Alam relocation plan shelved A proposal to shift maternity services to Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital on KP Road at Sarnal was shelved after structural assessments by IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar found the building unsuitable under post-2005 earthquake safety standards. The building was originally constructed by a local trust and later expanded by the Housing Department, JKPCC and R&B at a cost of about Rs 13 crore. IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar recommended retrofitting the two lower floors and strengthening key structural elements at an estimated Rs 8 crore, besides about Rs 25 crore for interior work. The Design Inspection Quality Control (DIQC) department also recommended reinforcing underground structures. Using the building for offices or other non-clinical health services was also suggested, but the relocation proposal was eventually dropped. The site has about 30 kanals of land that could potentially be used for new construction. With the new hospital still awaiting approval, the Sherbagh facility continues to function under severe space constraints. Like the childrens section, the maternity hospital should also be shifted temporarily until the new facility comes up, said Ishrat Ahmad, a local resident.

Bandiporas Rs 7.5 Cr PMGSY road lies in ruins, villagers face daily danger

Commuters and residents across several villages are facing daily hardships as the 7-kilometre Kaloosa to Gurdal road in north Kashmirs Bandipora district remains broken and unsafe, six years after construction, and facelift works started. Executed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the road work began on April 27, 2020, with an estimated cost of Rs 750.70 lakh. Despite this massive budget and a mandatory five-year maintenance period, the surface is completely broken. Severe potholes appeared early this year and have steadily worsened. Driving on this road breaks our vehicles and our backs, said Mohammad Shafi, a daily commuter. The potholes are so deep that it takes double the time just to cross a few kilometres. The poor surface condition also creates severe dust pollution. Residents are forced to stand on the roadside and spray water from garden hoses just to settle the thick dust rising from the dry, gravel-filled stretches. We are literally eating dust, said Abdul Wahid, a local resident. I have to stand outside with a water hose just so my family can breathe inside our own home. They spent crores, and all we got were potholes and chest infections. The contract was awarded to M/s AJS Construction Group, with the J&K Rural Roads Development Agency (JKRRDA) acting as the executing agency. Official project boards show plans for a complete cross-section with proper shoulders, drainage and protection walls. However, residents say safety features were abandoned. Small bridges and culverts along the route lack protective side walls and proper drainage systems, posing a serious risk to passing vehicles. Look at the small bridges, there are no side walls at all, said local resident Javid Ahmad. One wrong turn at night and your car is in the ditch. Residents allege the road develops deep potholes every year, pointing to poor-quality macadamisation by the contractors. Despite repeated promises from the administration regarding immediate patchwork and surface repairs, residents say there has been no actual headway on the ground. Locals are demanding strict measures to fix the crumbling surface and build the missing safety walls before a major accident occurs.

COUNT THE DAYS FIRST :The paradox behind J&Ks five-day week debate

Srinagar, Sep 20: The school bell in Jammu and Kashmir may ring as late as 4:30 pm, but the school year itself is considerably shorter than in several other parts of the country. That contrast sits at the centre of a debate now reaching the J&K Legislative Assembly: if children are already under academic pressure, should they spend one less day a week in school? National Conference (NC) MLA Hasnain Masoodi has proposed a five-day working week for schools, with Saturdays and Sundays as holidays, saying students are burdened by studies and need time for rest and recreation. Education Minister Sakina Itoo has said the proposal will be examined by the concerned education authorities. A report titled Working Hours Parity Report: An Objective Audit of the Jammu & Kashmir Academic Calendar, records 181 working days for J&K. Its comparison gives Delhi 243 working days, the South India category 236 and West Bengal 217. In other words, the difference between J&K and the three comparison regions is not measured in a handful of days. It is 36 days against West Bengal, 55 against the South India comparison and 62 against Delhi. The report points to one conspicuous reason: the winter break. It records a 76-day winter vacation in J&K, against 13 days in each of the three comparison regions. Overall, it records 184 holiday days in J&K, including 17 national holidays and 26 state holidays, leaving 181 working days. And yet, on a day-to-day basis, J&K can appear to have a demanding school schedule. The report notes the extension of the school day to 4:30 pm and calls the resulting perception the 4:30 PM illusion, the sense that a late closing bell necessarily means a longer academic year. The report puts annual working hours for J&K at 1,086, against 1,458 in Delhi, 1,463.2 in the South India comparison and 1,519 in West Bengal. It calculates the gap between 25.5 per cent and 28.5 per cent, averaging 26.6 per cent across the three comparisons. There is a qualification that matters: these are working-hour figures for teaching staff and the academic calendar, not a direct measure of the hours individual students spend learning. The report therefore cannot establish that a J&K student receives only 1,086 hours of classroom instruction in a year. But it does establish something relevant to the present debate: J&Ks formal school calendar has fewer working days than the three regions against which the report compares it. The report offers another way of looking at the issue. It applies a common 7.5-hour working day to J&K and West Bengal, removing the difference in daily schedules from the calculation. J&K would still have 1,357.5 annual hours against West Bengals 1,627.5, a 270-hour difference, because the number of working days is different. The comparison becomes even more striking against private-school benchmarks cited in the report. It puts annual hours at 1,498 for private schools in Delhi, 1,536 in West Bengal and 1,711 in its South India comparison, against 1,086 for J&K, with reported gaps ranging from 27.5 per cent to 36.5 per cent. None of these figures, however, answers Masoodis central contention that children are burnt out by academic pressure. That is a different proposition, and it requires different evidence. Nor does the report establish that J&K should have more working days. Its purpose is comparative: to show how the distribution of the academic year differs across the regions examined. Its own figures show that the 76-day winter closure is doing much of the work in producing the annual gap. The calendar data also needs to be read against J&Ks existing academic schedule. The JKBOSE 2024-25 academic calendar separately provided roughly 185 working days for the Kashmir division and winter-zone Jammu. That figure comes from a different academic year and calendar dataset from the 181 working days cited in the institutional audit. J&Ks academic calendar has also changed over time. An earlier DSEK academic planner for 2017-18 prescribed 200 instructional days and 800 effective school hours for primary classes, while upper-primary classes were prescribed 220 instructional days and 1,000 effective school hours. The report also examines the effect of the daily timetable across seasons. It puts peak daylight at roughly 13-14 hours between April and July, when the school day may run to 4:30 pm. For September and October, it puts daylight at about 11-12 hours, while during November and December the school day ends at 3 pm. The report describes these as approximate seasonal daylight figures. Itoo has said the proposal will be taken up with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir, Directorate of School Education Jammu and the Director of Colleges for examination.

Bukhari cautions against settling outsiders in J

Slams neglect of Srinagar, demands probe into citys Master Plan Srinagar, Sep 20: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Sunday cautioned against any attempt to settle outsiders in Jammu and Kashmir under the garb of development, demanding a probe into allegations that land is being purchased in the name of certain locals to []

CBI arrests agriculture officer, two others in bribery case

Srinagar, Sep 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three people, including a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO) and an Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Department, in a bribery case linked to the release of a subsidy under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The third accused is a private individual, the CBI said. The case was registered on September 19 following a complaint alleging that the SDAO had demanded 35,000 from the complainant for releasing the subsidy. According to the CBI, the officer directed the complainant to hand over the bribe to either the AEA or the private individual. The agency subsequently laid a trap and allegedly caught the AEA and the private individual red-handed while demanding and accepting 15,000 from the complainant. The SDAO was later arrested from his residence, the CBI said. Further investigation in the case is underway.

Police file case against TVK member, five others for demanding protection money from gas agency

BJP seeks Rahul Gandhi's apology over comedian's mimicry of PM Modi at Indore event; Congress says it was just mimicry

The BJP has strongly criticized Rahul Gandhi for a comedy act. This performance allegedly insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother and included falsehoods. Party leaders are demanding a public apology from Gandhi for these remarks. The Congress defended the act as simple mimicry and nothing more. This incident has sparked a significant political controversy and debate.

MERZ FAILED GERMANY!: Berlin Voters Lash Out As AfD STORMS NATO Nation | Watch

Berlin voters delivered a blistering assessment of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as the capitals state election got underway. One resident criticised the CDUs response to rising prices, arguing that demanding longer working hours and restricting part-time employment was not credible social policy. She said the partys failure to connect with its traditional voters had helped strengthen the AfD and declared that Merz was definitely not my chancellor. Another voter accused Merz of making racist and misogynistic remarks and predicted that he would remain in office until the end of his termnot because voters supported him, but because his ego is a bit too big for him to resign.

'Hey Bibi, How Much More Blood?': Israelis Take To Streets, Big Demand Before October Election

Demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government, with several protesters calling for political change ahead of Israels October election. Footage shows participants carrying Israeli flags and placards, including messages asking, How much more blood will be spilt? and demanding a state commission of inquiry. An installation titled Responsibility featured white fabric marked with fake blood. Protesters also raised concerns over the ongoing war, government accountability and Israels political direction. Rally participants said replacing Netanyahu alone would not address what they described as broader policy and governance issues. The demonstration comes ahead of the October 27 Knesset election, while calls for an official inquiry into the October 7 attacks remain a prominent issue among protesters.

Delhi BJP Protests Demand Expulsion of AAP Councillor Following Sanitation Worker

Delhi BJP protests outside AAP office, demanding the expulsion of councillor linked to sanitation workers suicide. Delhi BJP Protests Demand Expulsion of AAP Councillor Following Sanitation Workers Suicide

Gujarat: New Gambhira bridge opens a year after tragedy

Digital Desk | Vadodara, Sep 20 (IANS) The new Gambhira-Mujpur bridge over the Mahi River was inaugurated in Vadodara district on Sunday, a little over a year after the collapse of the old structure claimed 22 lives, as Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 1,297 crore in the district. The new 868.75-metre bridge connects Padra taluka in Vadodara with Anklav in Anand district and has 23 spans and 21 piers. According to the Roads and Buildings Department, construction began on August 14, 2025, and was completed on August 13, making it the fastest river bridge in Gujarat. The earlier bridge, built in 1985, collapsed on July 9 last year when a section between two piers gave way during morning traffic, sending several vehicles into the Mahi River. The final death toll was 22. The bridge was a major route between central Gujarat and Saurashtra and carried around one lakh vehicles a day, including heavy vehicles. Its collapse forced commuters to take detours of up to 45 km. The new structure uses epoxy-coated steel to improve durability and reduce corrosion. Around 300 workers were deployed round the clock during construction, with fluctuating water levels and flow in the Mahi River posing challenges. Safety testing was also carried out before the bridge was opened. Addressing a programme at Trimandir in Varnama, Patel said the Rs 1,297-crore package included the Gambhira bridge, the Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Sankalp Bhoomi Memorial at Kalyannagar and works related to housing, roads, drainage and water supply. The Ambedkar memorial, built at a cost of around Rs 29 crore, features a 12-foot statue of Dr Ambedkar, along with a museum, digital show, library, and auditorium. Patel said the memorial would inspire future generations toward social equality, unity, and harmony. Social harmony had been established in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership and that the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam had received continuous encouragement under his leadership, he added. He said PM Modi had adopted an approach of considering every citizen as part of his family and ensuring that the benefits of development reached the person at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. The Chief Minister said the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' is being organised to advance further PM Modis 25-year journey of public and national service. Benefits of schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Har Ghar Jal and Ayushman Bharat had made peoples lives easier, and citizens must ensure that those who remained deprived received their rightful benefits, he said. He stressed the need for a saturation approach so that government schemes reached the maximum number of beneficiaries and urged people to contribute to public service through activities such as tree plantation, cleanliness drives, water conservation, electricity conservation and rainwater harvesting. The government is working to bring every village, family and citizen into the development process, he noted. He said 593 houses were among the works being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. He stressed the importance of public participation in building a developed Gujarat and achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pradyuman Vaja said Vadodara had received development works worth Rs 1,273 crore, including around Rs 75 crore in projects under his department. Vaja also thanked the Chief Minister for making a budgetary provision of Rs 231 crore in Gujarat to mark the 650th birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Ravidas. Minister of State Manisha Vakil said Patel had given priority to reconstructing the Gambhira bridge and ensured the work was completed on time. The new bridge would make trade and commercial movement between Vadodara and Saurashtra easier. The Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial would continue to inspire people, she added.

Doctors and Nurses Strike After Violent Incident at East Burdwan Hospital

Following a violent incident at Manakar Rural Hospital, doctors and nurses have gone on strike, demanding better security measures. Doctors and Nurses Strike After Violent Incident at East Burdwan Hospital

Manipur tense after security forces detain 7 Kukis

Violent protests erupted in Manipur's Kangpokpi district after seven Kuki villagers were allegedly detained by security forces. Protesters blocked roads and clashed with forces, leading to injuries. The villagers were later released, but a Meitei women's organisation subsequently staged a sit-in demanding the release of Meitei village volunteers.

Trump warns he has entered deciding mode on Iran, says ig things are in store

Washington, DC [US], September 20 : US President Donald Trump cautioned on Sunday that he has reached a decisive juncture regarding the conflict involving Iran, warning that significant consequences will follow if Tehran refuses to alter its behaviour. In remarks shared during an interview with the US network Fox News regarding his strategy in the ongoing war, Trump stated, My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They had better behave. Outlining his available courses of action, the US President noted that he could annihilate the country, permit it to economically deteriorate, or pursue a diplomatic settlement, while forecasting that very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future. Addressing upcoming international engagements ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level week commencing Monday, Trump indicated a readiness for diplomatic talks, mentioning that he would probably be open to holding discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Regarding broader conflicts across the region, Trump remarked that Washington maintains ongoing contact with Yemen's Houthis in the wake of their recent ballistic missile strikes directed at Saudi Arabia, maintaining that the faction has consented to refrain from attacking American personnel. However, indications suggest a new front is opening across the restive Middle East as the American administration studies potential military steps against the Houthis following their missile attack targeting the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which Saudi forces successfully intercepted. Amid these escalating regional tensions, President Trump cut short an overnight stay at Camp David and returned to the White House early. CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas reported on X that discussions at the presidential retreat centred on deliberating and reviewing strike options concerning Yemen. Following these high-level deliberations, US embassies across the Middle East issued security warnings to American citizens regarding potential retaliatory targets. The security climate has grown increasingly complex, with ongoing regional friction involving Iran, Yemen, and Western interests. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously addressed the gravity of the Houthi threat, asserting that military intervention could have swiftly concluded the conflict had it not been for concerns over innocent Yemeni civilians. Concurrently, US diplomatic missions have advised citizens to monitor consular alerts closely due to persistent threats of drone and missile strikes linked to Iran and its regional allies. Adding to the diplomatic dimensions, Irans security chief Mohsen Rezaei stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Tehran has communicated its terms for ending hostilities through Qatari mediation, demanding an end to the war on all fronts, the unfreezing of national funds, and the cessation of the naval blockade. While the Trump administration weighs these conditions alongside military preparations, world leaders prepare to convene in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where the unfolding crisis in West Asia is anticipated to dominate international discussions. (ANI)

Hundreds protest in Tunisia for release of jailed Gaza flotilla activists

Hundreds of Tunisians have protested in Tunis, demanding the release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists. Hundreds protest in Tunisia for release of jailed Gaza flotilla activists

Sub-divisional agriculture officer among 3 arrested by CBI in bribery case in J&K

Srinagar, Sep 20: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested a sub-divisional agriculture officer (SDAO) and two others in connection with a bribery case in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. It is alleged that SDAO Rajan Sharma had demanded a bribe of Rs 35,000 from the complainant for releasing his subsidy under Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) scheme. Rajan Sharma allegedly directed the subsidy-seeker to handover the bribe either to AEA (Agricultural Extension Assistant) Abhilashi Sharma or to a private person, Ashok Kumar. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA) and the private person red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs. 15,000 from the complainant, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement. SDAO Rajan Sharma was later arrested from his residence, the spokesperson said.

CBI Arrests Agricultural Officials in Bribery Case in Jammu and Kashmir

The CBI has arrested three agricultural officials in Jammu and Kashmir for demanding bribes related to subsidy disbursement. CBI Arrests Agricultural Officials in Bribery Case in Jammu and Kashmir

CBI Arrests Agricultural Officials in Jammu-Kashmir Bribery Case

The CBI has arrested three individuals, including agricultural officials, for demanding bribes in Jammu-Kashmir. CBI Arrests Agricultural Officials in Jammu-Kashmir Bribery Case

J and K Bribery: CBI Arrests Agriculture Officer

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO) and two others in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe to release a subsidy under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) scheme.

Protesters demanding rollback of UGC regulations block Yamuna Expressway in Agra

Protesters demanding rollback of UGC regulations blocked the Yamuna Expressway in Agra on Sunday. Dozens of tractors were used to halt traffic, leading to a scuffle with police. The demonstrators alleged that some provisions could be misused against general-category students. Police managed to persuade the protesters to clear the road after some time.

Under-construction warehouse collapses in Delhi's Narela, 2 injured

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 20 (IANS) A portion of an under-construction warehouse collapsed in the Narela area of north Delhi on Sunday, injuring two labourers, officials said. The incident took place at around 11 am, at Plot No. 248, on Farm House Road, Jain Mandir, in Narela's Budhpur. Two labourers were reportedly trapped under the debris. However, they were pulled out and rushed to the hospital before the arrival of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) unit. Upon receiving information, the fire services immediately sent two Water Tenders (WTs), a Bowser Fire Tender (BFT), and a Water Bowser (WB), along with Station Officer Naveen Thakran and Sub Officer Pardeep. The injured labourers have been identified as Sunil, 20, and Naresh Pajwan, 28. A similar incident of building collapse was reported from the Alipur area of north Delhi earlier on Sunday. No casualties were reported in the incident. The Alipur police station received a call regarding the collapse at around 11 a.m., following which police teams were immediately dispatched to the site. Four ambulances, a fire tender, and a disaster management vehicle were also sent to the location, officials said. According to the preliminary inquiry, lintel work was underway at the under-construction building when the supporting shuttering, locally referred to as 'balli', apparently gave way. The failure of the temporary support caused the structure to collapse, officials said. Several labourers were present and working at the construction site when the incident occurred, officials said. Police said that all the workers were accounted for and were found to be safe. No person was trapped beneath the debris, they added. Police teams and other emergency personnel carried out checks at the site to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the collapse and ensure that no one was missing or trapped. Further verification regarding the incident and the safety of the workers is currently underway, police said.

CPI(M) warns TVK govt. not to take unilateral decisions

Addressing a demonstration on Saturday in Chennai, demanding that the government drop its proposal to construct a new Secretariat at Pattinapakkam, Mr. Shanmugam said the TVK government had been elected with the support of 34% of the voters and not 100% of the people of Tamil Nadu.

Facing Career Crossroads, Richardson Sets Sight On Reviving Test Chances Via India A Clash

West Coast Eagles: As he turns 30 on Sunday, Australia pacer Jhye Richardson said he has set his sights on reviving his Test cricket career through the upcoming red-ball series against India A, starting in Puducherry on September 22. It (turning 30) is quite scary knowing careers can end abruptly. But I still feel strong in myself and I'm enjoying the game and playing for my country. Senior bowler, junior - whatever it is - doesn't bother me too much as long as I'm enjoying my cricket. That's always the plan - to play Test cricket. I'd love to play Test cricket. Again, I've played a few games now, had a taste of Test cricket, but with shoulder issues and other issues, I haven't played as much as I would have liked. That (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) is always in the background. My mentality this year is just to be where my feet are. That's in Chennai right now and then in Puducherry for two four-day games against India A. Hopefully get through those two games and ultimately if I perform well, I can play Test cricket again, Richardson was quoted as saying by Cricinfo on Sunday. To prepare for the demanding red-ball stretch ahead, Richardson completed his maiden county stint with Yorkshire, where he shared a dressing room with current England Test captain Joe Root. Joe is amazing off the field. He's one of the best players in the world. But you know, some of the conversations that we have off the field don't regard cricket whatsoever. He's very intelligent and he thinks a lot about what he says. So it was a lot of fun with Joe and I'd love to go back next year. It was a great experience, obviously playing against him in the Ashes and then getting to know him a bit more off the field, he added. Reflecting on his workload management so far, Richardson said, The last couple of years with injury...I haven't had a long string of games together. So the idea was to finish the season strong, and then pretty much head straight into playing some county cricket, get some games there, and then prepare for GSL, which luckily I've gotten through so far. And then coming back with some new staff members coming into the WA set-up - new head coach (Beau Casson), new S&C [Strength and Conditioning] coach as well, who's brought a nice spin on things. He comes from an AFL background, was at the West Coast Eagles for 12 years. He's come in and pushed us really hard. Reflecting on his workload management so far, Richardson said, The last couple of years with injury...I haven't had a long string of games together. So the idea was to finish the season strong, and then pretty much head straight into playing some county cricket, get some games there, and then prepare for GSL, which luckily I've gotten through so far. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories We all know how much India loves its cricket. The stadiums are always packed out and super loud, so hopefully we can recreate something with that here. We might have to put in a good word around Chennai to try and get them on the Scorchers' side. Article Source: IANS

Jennifer Winget and William Ishmael host Goa wedding; Mandira Bedi officiates, Harleen Sethi wins bouquet toss

TV and OTT actor Jennifer Winget and William Ishmael hosted a wedding celebration in Goa on Friday, bringing together some of their closest friends from the television and film industry. The gathering came two months after the couple's intimate wedding ceremony in the UK and was filled with music, dancing and familiar faces. Mandira Bedi officiated the Goa celebrations, while Harleen Sethi caught the bouquet during the festivities.

Asian Games Badminton: PV Sindhu Stars as India Crush Kazakhstan to Reach Quarters

Indias womens badminton team made a commanding start to their Asian Games campaign, defeating Kazakhstan 30 in the Round of 16. PV Sindhu set the tone in the opening singles rubber, brushing aside Kamila Smagulova 217, 219 in just 20 minutes. Rising star Unnati Hooda followed with another dominant performance, beating Alissa Kuleshova 217, 2110. [] The post Asian Games Badminton: PV Sindhu Stars as India Crush Kazakhstan to Reach Quarters appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .

CBI Arrests SDAO, Two Others Over Rs 35,000 Subsidy Demand

Jammu, September 20: The CBI Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Jammu, has arrested a Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO), an Agricultural Extension Assistant and a private person for allegedly demanding Rs 35,000 from a complainant for facilitating the release of subsidy under the High-Density Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The accused have been identified as Rajan Sharma, SDAO, Akhnoor; [] The post CBI Arrests SDAO, Two Others Over Rs 35,000 Subsidy Demand appeared first on Northlines .

Police probe assault of Class 12 Scheduled Caste student in Kallakurichi

Following the incident, parents and local residents staged a protest in front of the school, demanding the immediate arrest of eight students involved in the attack and action against teachers who, they claimed, failed to intervene

Police probe assault of Class 12 Scheduled Caste student in Kallakurichi

Following the incident, parents and local residents staged a protest in front of the school, demanding the immediate arrest of eight students involved in the attack and action against teachers who, they claimed, failed to intervene

6 booked for claims HC

Shamli: Uttar Pradesh Police have booked three Muslim journalists, a lawyer, and two social media users for posting misleading and factless posts about the Allahabad High Court reprimanding Shamli Police during the Ayush Malik case proceedings. The High Court on September 16 held that Malik converted by his own choice to Islam and married a Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News , Technology , Entertainment , Sports , Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS .

CoU students block Dhaka-Ctg highway demanding justice for Opratim

Students demand arrests, 60-day trial and action against police officials over teenager

Asian Games: India begin men's hockey title defence with 13-1 rout of Indonesia

Digital Desk | Nagoya, Sep 20 (IANS) India launched their Asian Games mens hockey title defence in emphatic fashion, decimating Indonesia 13-1 in their opening Pool A encounter on Sunday. Eight different goal-scorers were on target for the Indian team, headlined by Dilpreet Singh's four-goal haul, as India put on a clinical display from the first whistle to the last. With a comprehensive win to start their campaign, India will next take on Sri Lanka in their second Pool A fixture on September 22. India got off to a fast start with Shilanand Lakra converting a rebound off Harmanpreet Singh's saved drag-flick in the 6th minute, before Abhishek doubled the advantage in the 12th minute, turning home a rebound after the initial effort was parried by Indonesia custodian Alam Fajar. Despite Fajar producing a couple of early saves to deny Mandeep Singh, India carried the momentum into the break, closing the first quarter with a 2-0 lead. The second quarter saw the Men in Blue run riot. Dilpreet Singh struck twice inside two minutes (18th, 19th) to open his account for the tournament, followed by a well-worked finish from Rajinder Singh in the 19th minute and a first goal of the campaign for Mandeep Singh (21st). Harmanpreet Singh added a penalty corner strike in the 28th minute, though he had earlier seen a penalty stroke saved by Fajar diving to his right. India went into the half-time break with a commanding 7-0 lead, having found the target from open play, penalty corners, and a variety of combinations across the pitch. Indonesia found their first goal of the match early in the third quarter when captain Aulia Al Ardh converted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute, reducing the deficit to 7-1 after a video referral confirmed the decision in Indonesia's favour. India responded swiftly to the setback, with Shilanand Lakra netting his second of the match (35th) and Dilpreet Singh completing his hat-trick (37th), before Sukhjeet Singh joined the scoring column in the 38th minute to push the lead out to 10-1 by the end of the third quarter. India continued their relentless attacking play in the final quarter. Jugraj Singh converted from India's second penalty corner attempt in the 47th minute after his first effort was blocked by the first rusher, before Sukhjeet Singh added his second of the match (48th) from a well-worked move, finishing off a driving run down the right flank. Dilpreet Singh rounded off a personal tally of four goals in the 49th minute, deflecting home after an initial touch from Abhishek, to take the score to a commanding 13-1 as the remaining minutes wound down with Indonesia retaining possession in the circle.

Meghalaya: Garo residents protest mandatory Khasi Language Test for DSC recruitment

Guwahati: More than 2,000 members of the Garo community from across the Khasi Hills gathered at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills on Saturday, opposing the compulsory Khasi language qualifying test for District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment and demanding that Garo be included as an alternative. The gathering was held at the Sildubi Mini Playground and [] The post Meghalaya: Garo residents protest mandatory Khasi Language Test for DSC recruitment appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Osho-Inspired

SRINAGAR: A proposed four-day Tantra in Silence A Journey Within retreat in Kashmirs Gurez Valley has sparked political and religious controversy, with former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Kashmirs chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam demanding intervention. The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and Bandipora district administration, however, have clarified that they []