Odisha Students Protest Against Textbook Errors, Demand Ministers Resignation
BJD youth and student organizations in Odisha protest against errors in textbooks, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Nityanand Gond. Odisha Students Protest Against Textbook Errors, Demand Ministers Resignation
IIT Bombay Student Death: Family Alleges Caste Discrimination, Alumni Association Urges Fair Probe
The parents of 22-year-old IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode have alleged that he previously reported caste discrimination by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, and his mother is demanding the professors immediate arrest. His father also raised allegations involving IIT Bombays director and the handling of the case. The institute initially made claims about a phone and ChatGPT during an exam, then apologised, saying circumstances remain under investigation. Meanwhile, the IIT-Bombay Alumni Association has condemned online speculation and called for a fair, transparent and speedy probe, along with a safe and supportive campus.
Shillong, Sep 22: Cooks under the PM-POSHAN scheme across Meghalaya staged simultaneous sit-in protests on Tuesday as their indefinite cease-cooking strike entered day 22, demanding continuation of the scheme and enhancement of honorarium from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. The state-wide protest was held at Khyndailad in Shillong, Ummulong in Jowai and near [] The post PM-Poshan cooks strike, demand Rs 10k pay, scheme continuation first appeared on Highland Post .
Bageshwar Aerial, Mussoorie Queens Notch Wins In UPL 2026
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium: Bageshwar Aerial and Mussoorie Queens registered contrasting victories in the womens competition at the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) 2026, with both sides successfully chasing targets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Tuesday. Bageshwar Aerial began the day with a three-wicket win over Pithoragarh Hurricanes after chasing down 136 with five balls to spare. After opting to field, Bageshwar Aerial restricted Pithoragarh Hurricanes to 135/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Gayatri Arya top-scored with 41 off 35 balls as the Hurricanes struggled to build enough momentum for a challenging total. The chase proved to be a closely fought affair, but Bageshwar Aerial held their nerve to finish on 136/7 in 19.1 overs. Nandini Kaushik played a key role in the successful pursuit, contributing 41 off 35 balls. Mussoorie Queens, meanwhile, produced a more commanding performance in the second game, defeating Dehradun Warriors by eight wickets. Dehradun Warriors chose to bat first but were bowled out for 123 in 19 overs. Preeti Bhandari offered the strongest resistance with a 38-ball 59, but Mussoorie Queens' bowlers kept the scoring in check throughout the innings. Nisha Mishra was the chief architect of the bowling effort, claiming four wickets to earn the Player of the Match award. The Queens then completed the chase with 10 balls to spare, reaching 125/2 in 18.3 overs. Captain Nandini Kashyap anchored the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 64 balls to steer her side comfortably over the line. Kashyap said the team's preparation and planning against individual opponents had played an important role in their performances. We are doing a lot of preparation. As I said earlier, we are planning against every team. We are studying the batters and bowlers and making our plans accordingly, and so far, those plans have worked really well. We will take the same approach into our next two matches, including the final. All the girls are following the plans and executing them really well, which is helping us as a team. The Mussoorie captain also felt the surface offered better batting conditions than in their previous outing, although it became slightly slower by the time her side began its chase. We are doing a lot of preparation. As I said earlier, we are planning against every team. We are studying the batters and bowlers and making our plans accordingly, and so far, those plans have worked really well. We will take the same approach into our next two matches, including the final. All the girls are following the plans and executing them really well, which is helping us as a team. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories The two results added further momentum to the women's competition as the teams continue their push towards the next stage of the third UPL season. Article Source: IANS
Neasden temple unveils a 42-foot Tapomurti inspired by courage, faith and compassion
Neasden Temple marked a significant moment on Sunday (20), as His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, spiritual leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, consecrated the new 42-foot Tapomurti Nilkanth Varni Maharaj. Thousands of devotees gathered at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London, for the ceremony, which marked a new chapter for the temple and its community. The Tapomurti represents Nilkanth Varni, the youthful form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, who undertook a seven-year journey across the Indian subcontinent. His travels, spiritual discipline and compassion have remained an important part of the tradition and continue to inspire devotees and spiritual seekers. A ceremony rooted in tradition The consecration began with devotional bhajans reflecting Nilkanth Varni's travels and virtues, followed by discourses focusing on his courage, faith, discipline and compassion for people and nature. Senior swamis began the Vedic rituals before Mahant Swami Maharaj joined them for the principal rites of the murti pratishtha. One of the most striking moments came when Mahant Swami Maharaj was raised on a specially designed platform alongside the 42-foot Tapomurti. This allowed him to personally perform the traditional rituals and make offerings at different levels of the sacred image. The ceremony concluded with the first arti and an offering of flowers at the feet of Nilkanth Varni Maharaj. BAPS A connection across generations The ceremony also linked the new Tapomurti with an earlier chapter in the history of the BAPS community in Britain. Mahant Swami Maharaj performed the abhishek of Nilkanth Varni Maharaj using water collected from the River Thames near Putney Bridge. The choice of location carried particular significance. On June 28, 1970, Yogiji Maharaj had bathed Shri Harikrishna Maharaj in the Thames at the same area, in the presence of more than 300 devotees. More than five decades later, water from the river was used in the consecration of the new Tapomurti, creating a symbolic connection between the early days of the BAPS community in Britain and its present-day spiritual life. A message of peace Addressing devotees, Mahant Swami Maharaj spoke about the peace and spiritual benefit that the Tapomurti would offer to those who come for its darshan. In a prayer specially written for the occasion, he said: May the lives of all of you gathered here before Shri Nilkanth Varni become divine and filled with happiness and peace, and may everyones faith in God deepen. He later performed the first pradakshina, walking reverentially around the sacred image, before viewing new relief sculptures depicting Bhagwan Swaminarayan's life. The ceremony also included a mural tracing the history of Neasden Temple and its connection with Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj. A living part of London's Hindu community The celebrations ended with devotional dances, bringing colour and energy to the temple grounds around the newly consecrated Tapomurti. For the BAPS community, the occasion was more than the unveiling of a new sacred image. It brought together faith, history and community in a distinctly British setting, while preserving traditions that have been carried across generations. The Tapomurti Nilkanth Varni Maharaj now stands as a new spiritual feature at Neasden Temple, offering devotees and visitors a place for reflection, prayer and darshan in the heart of London's Hindu community.
U.S. broadcaster boycott against Trump faced 1st test at ribbon cutting ceremony
The fallout from President Trumps decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from the White House continued on Monday, with the news organizations filing a federal lawsuit, other outlets dropping their coverage in protest and the administration launching a live YouTube stream branded TRUMP TV. In response to the ban, four major TV networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News refused to participate in the White House pool, the rotating group of reporters, photographers and videographers that document the president's public events. CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool on Monday. As a result, Trump was largely inaudible during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the White House's new helipad on Monday, where he gave a brief speech without the microphone that the pool would typically provide. On Monday night, the White House launched a Trump TV YouTube stream. Branded TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station , the White House said in its description that it would run videos and highlights of the Trump Administration's biggest moments all in one place. The first video showed Trump's remarks on July 3 at Mount Rushmore. The three banned news organizations filed a lawsuit against Trump and three of his top advisers in federal court earlier Monday, 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. 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 public's 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. The filing cites a 1977 ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the White House cannot arbitrarily deny a journalist a press pass without due process. This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles, the filing states. 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! A hearing was set for Wednesday. Trump indicated in a follow-up Truth Social post that he would appeal any ruling against him. The White House released a statement on Monday afternoon, saying that access for journalists is a privilege not a right. The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool, the statement read. No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds. Access has always been a privilege and President Trump is applying that rule. 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. There's something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories, the president said. If they want to write them, that's fine, but I don't have to let them into my, into the people's house. According to CNN , Trump's close aide Natalie Harp showed him clips of media coverage shortly before he announced the ban. 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 journalists CNN's Betsy Klein, MS NOW's Akayla Gardner and Politico's Cheyenne Haslett are listed as plaintiffs in the court filing. MS NOW's Akayla Gardner, CNN's Betsy Klein and Politico's Cheyenne Haslett are seen near the White House after all were denied entry on Sept. 19. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana 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 . That's 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. On Sunday, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of trash bags bearing the logos of CNN, MSNBC (MS NOW's former name) and Politico outside the White House. The three news outlets are longstanding members of the White House press pool that provides rotating coverage of the administration and travels with the president. The daily guidance issued by the White House for Monday listed no primary TV pool, identifying Hearst and Real America's Voice as the secondary TV crews for the president's events in Washington and his scheduled trip to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. The Washington Post , the New York Times and HuffPost each announced that they would not publish images of Trumps trip on Monday in solidarity with the banned journalists. The president vs. the press 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. Jonathan Ernst/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 that he had interrupted the president during a news conference. The network sued, and a federal judge ordered Acosta's credentials restored . A similar situation played out the following year when the White House revoked Playboy correspondent Brian Karem's press pass over a verbal argument between Karem and Sebastian Gorka, a former White House aide, at a Rose Garden event. A federal judge ordered the White House to restore Karem's pass . 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 Trump's preferred name, the Gulf of America. The AP filed suit and the case is ongoing. In his first event without a network TV pool on Monday, Trump unveiled the White House's new helipad before departing for New York. His remarks were nearly inaudible on the White House video feed . Joe Reberkenny, a White House correspondent for the Washington Blade who was serving as the in-town pool reporter, said he couldn't hear Trump over the sound of the helicopter. This article originally appeared on Yahoo News at https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/trump-tv-launches-after-white-house-bans-cnn-ms-now-and-politico-and-major-networks-halt-video-coverage-in-protest-155420637.html
Nimmala Condemns YSRC Attack On Teachers In Vijayawada
Nimmala Ramanaidu criticised the alleged YSRC-linked attack on Vijayawada teachers, demanding action against those responsible.
Delhi Kalkaji Mandir Gangrape: 3 Arrested, 1 Shot in Leg
Two others -- Hemant, a lawyer, and his brother Mukesh, a final year BSc Mathematics student, were also arrested from their house and are being questioned. They are natives of Faridabad and reside in Sri Niwaspuri in Delhi.
Delhi Horror: Teen Gang-Raped By 3 Men Posing As Cops In Park
In another shocker from the capital, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men who posed as policemen inside a park. The horrific incident took place near Kalkaji Mandir in South Delhi on Monday. According to the complaint, the girl went to Kalkaji Mandir with her 17-year-old male friend around 7 pm on Monday. After offering prayers, the two went to a park near the temple around 7:30 pm, where the three accused, aged around 25 to 30 years, allegedly approached them and claimed to be policemen.
Joshi Takes Commanding Lead At Bengaluru Open
Khalin Joshi, fresh off a win, shot a career-low 11-under 61 to take a four-shot lead at the Bengaluru Open 2026. The local golfer's bogey-free round included an eagle and nine birdies. Teenager Manoj S is in second place, while the tournament is crucial for players to retain their playing rights on the DP World PGTI tour.
ICC chairman Jay Shah and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia congratulated the Indian women's cricket team after it successfully defended its Asian Games gold medal with a commanding 147-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final in Nisshin on Tuesday.
Farmers block road demanding fertiliser in Kurigram
Blockade lifted after officials speak to agigated farmers, assure adequate fertiliser supply
Maharashtra drought: State records 18.8% rain deficit, 40-50% rain deficit across six districts
With the government set to conduct crop-damage surveys after October 5, farmers are demanding immediate drought declarations and relief funds, highlighting the urgent need for assistance as water scarcity exacerbates the crisis across Marathwada and Vidarbha regions
Mac Studio 2026: M5 Max and M5 Ultra specs, prices and benchmarks
Macworld New Mac Studio 2026: At a glance Whats new: The 2026 Mac Studio gains M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, dramatically faster AI and graphics performance, faster SSD storage, increased memory bandwidth, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and enhanced professional connectivity. Release date : Announced on August 25, 2026 On sale : Shipping from September 22, 2026, but the Mac Studio with 512GB of unified memory is coming in late October. Price : From $2,499/2,499 In August 2026, Apple launched a new Mac Studio to replace the M4 Max and M3 Ultra model introduced 17 months previously. The 2026 Mac Studio retains its familiar compact design, but our testing reveals substantial improvements inside particularly in SSD speed and graphics performance. The previous generation mixed chip generations, pairing M4 Max with M3 Ultra. The new models bring both tiers into the M5 family: M5 Max offers an 18-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, while M5 Ultra scales to a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU. Both feature Neural Accelerators built into every GPU core to boost AI processing. Our M5 Max Mac Studio review found approximately 23 percent higher multicore performance in Geekbench 7 and 33 percent higher GPU rendering performance in Cinebench 2024 compared with the tested M4 Max Studio. Storage delivered the biggest leap: our 4TB configuration achieved approximately 2.7 times the read throughput and 2.2 times the write throughput. Results vary by workload, however, with our video export and encoding tests showing more modest improvements. For M5 Ultra, Apple claims up to 1.3 times the CPU performance, 1.8 times the graphics performance and 4.3 times the AI compute performance of M3 Ultra, depending on the workload and configuration. When is the new Mac Studio available? The new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra was announced on August 25, 2026. Shipping of most configurations began on September 22. Apple has confirmed that Mac Studio models configured with 512GB of unified memory will ship in late October. You can order the new Mac Studio from Apple, but you may find it discounted elsewhere. We recommend: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max, 2026) Price When Reviewed: $2,499 Best Prices Today: $2,449.99 at Amazon | $2499 at Apple We recommend: Apple Mac Studio (M5 Ultra, 2026) Price When Reviewed: $5,499 Best Prices Today: $5499 at Apple How much does the new Mac Studio cost? Model Price from M5 Max, 36GB, 512GB $2,499 / 2,499 M5 Ultra, 96GB, 1TB $5,499 / 5,499 Higher-priced configurations include an M5 Max with a 40-core GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory, or an M5 Ultra with an 80-core GPU and up to 512GB of unified memory. Has the Mac Studio price gone up? In June 2026, Apple raised the starting price of the Mac Studio by $500, from $1,999 to $2,499. The M3 Ultra model saw an even steeper increase, rising $1,300 from its $3,999 launch price to $5,299. The hikes were part of broader increases across the Mac lineup, which Apple attributed to sharply higher component costs, particularly RAM. The new M5 Max Mac Studio remains at the June price of $2,499, but the M5 Ultra model has risen by another $200 to $5,499. That makes it $1,500 more expensive than the previous-generation Ultra model was when it launched in March 2025. Heres a breakdown of the key price changes for the Mac Studio: Model Original Price June Price M5 Update price M4 Max, 36GB, 512GB $1,999 / 2,099 $2,499 / 2,499 $2,499 / 2,499 M3 Ultra, 96GB, 1TB $3,999 / 4,199 $5,299 / 5,299 $5,499 / 5,499 When it comes to high prices, the M5 Ultra Mac Studio is filling the gap left by the removal of the Mac Pro from the line up back in March 2026. Mac Studio M5 Max and M5 Ultra specs Petter Ahrnstedt Mac Studio moves to M5 Max and M5 Ultra, with up to a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB unified memory and 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth. Storage now uses PCIe Gen 6 for twice the performance, while connectivity adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and USB-C genlock. Processor: M5 Ultra and M5 Max chip compared The Mac Studio comes with either Apples Max or Ultra chips. The Max chip is aimed at demanding professional and creative workflows and supports large amounts of unified memory and high memory bandwidth. The Max chip is also available as an option for the MacBook Pro. The Ultra chip combines two Max chips on one large chip using Apples UltraFusion architecture, so they offer double the CPU and GPU resources, and even higher memory capacity and bandwidth. Its suited to complex 3D rendering, large AI models and scientific computing. M5 Max : We are already familiar with the M5 Max from the MacBook Pro that launched in March 2026. It offers an 18-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU, versus up to 16 CPU cores in the M4 Max. Its GPU includes a Neural Accelerator in every core, helping deliver up to 3.9x faster AI performance than M4 Max, according to Apple, alongside third-generation ray tracing. M5 Ultra : The M5 Ultra is a brand new chip that connects two dual-die M5 Max chips using UltraFusion, creating a four-die architecture and offerering up to a 36-core CPU and 80-core GPU. Apple claims up to 1.3x faster CPU, to 40% faster graphics and 4.5 peak GPU compute for AI versus M3 Ultra. Mac Studio M5 Max benchmarks We have tested the Mac Studio M5 Max with 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 128GB memory and 4TB SSD, here are the benchmarks for that model. Read our full review of the Mac Studio (M5 Max). Test M5 Max Studio M4 Max Studio Improvement Geekbench 7 single-core 3,782 3,502 8% Geekbench 7 multicore 35,658 29,067 23% Cinebench 2024 GPU 22,438 16,866 33% iMovie 4K ProRes export 28 seconds 31 seconds 10% less time Storage Maximum storage remains 8TB for the M5 Max and 16TB for the M5 Ultra, so capacity hasnt increased. However, Apple says its next-generation SSD architecture, based on PCIe Gen 6, delivers up to twice the storage performance. Our testing of the M5 Max Mac Studio with a 4TB SSD showed substantial improvements over the tested M4 Max Studio: 2.67 the read throughput. 2.18 the write throughput. These results apply to the tested configurations; performance may vary with SSD capacity. Faster storage could reduce the time spent opening large projects, transferring files and loading large local AI models, although the improvement will depend on your workload and any other bottlenecks. RAM Maximum unified memory remains 128GB with M5 Max and 512GB with M5 Ultra, the same as the previous generation. Bandwidth has improved though. The M5 Max will now reach 614GB/s with the 40-core GPU configuration, up from 546GB/s on the 40-core GPU M4 Max, while M5 Ultra delivers 1.2TB/s, which Apple says is around 50 percent higher than M3 Ultra. Connectivity: WiFi & Bluetooth Other upgrades include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, USB-C genlock and Thunderbolt 5 clustering for distributed AI workloads. Display support also improves, with M5 Max supporting up to five external displays and M5 Ultra supporting up to eight, depending on resolution and refresh rate. Eugen Wegmann Wi-Fi : The Mac Studio now supports Wi-Fi 7 which replaces the previous wireless standard Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth :Bluetooth 6 replaces Bluetooth 5.3. Ethernet : Existing connectivity including 10Gb Ethernet, HDMI, USB-A, SDXC and a headphone jack remains. Thunderbolt : Thunderbolt 5 remains, offering up to 120Gb/s and as many as six Thunderbolt 5 ports depending on configuration. Thunderbolt 5 can now be used with RDMA to cluster multiple Mac Studios for distributed AI workloads; Apple says four systems can deliver up to 3x faster AI inference than one. Genlock : Apple has added Genlock support over USB-C. This is used for synchronising a display and camera (which can be an iPhone 17 Pro) and will be useful for professional video workflows. Display support : The Mac Studio with M5 Max supports up to five external displays. The M5 Ultra supports up to eight displays at 6K/60Hz, or up to four displays at 5K/120Hz. Other ports include two USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot on the front of the M5 Max model, and two Thunderbolt 5 ports and an SDXC card slot on the front of the M5 Ultra model. On the back of the Mac Studio are: 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports 2 USB-A ports 1 HDMI port 1 10Gb Ethernet port 1 3.5mm headphone jack Mac Studio M5 Max vs M4 Max: Whats Changed What Was Now CPU 14-core to 16-core M4 Max 18-core M5 Max GPU 32-core to 40-core M4 Max 32-core to 40-core M5 Max Neural Engine 16core NeuralEngine 16core NeuralEngine GPU Neural Accelerators None One in every GPU core Bandwidth Up to 546GB/s memory bandwidth Up to 614GB/s memory bandwidth Max RAM 128GB 128GB Mac Studio M5 Ultra vs M3 Ultra: Whats Changed What Was Now CPU 28-core to 32-core M3 Ultra 30-core to 36-core M5 Ultra GPU 60-core to 80 core M3 Ultra 64-core to 80-core M5 Ultra Neural Engine 32-core Neural Engine 32-core Neural Engine GPU Neural Accelerators None One in every GPU core Bandwidth 819GB/s memory bandwidth 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth Max RAM 512GB 512GB Who is the Mac Studio best for? Apple has designed the Mac Studio with M5 Max to meet the needs of demanding creative and technical professionals. Apple specifically highlights musicians, photographers, software developers, designers and 3D professionals. Its also well suited to video editing, code compilation, AI image generation and running sizeable LLMs locally. The Mac Studio with M5 Ultra is intended for professionals with exceptionally demanding workloads: VFX artists rendering complex scenes, filmmakers working with multiple streams of 8K video, engineers running simulations, and AI researchers or data scientists training and running huge models locally. Its 512GB memory ceiling is particularly valuable for frontier-class LLMs. Should you buy the 2026 Mac Studio? For new buyers, the M5 Max Mac Studio is an excellent starting point. Pay extra for M5 Ultra only if your workload needs its additional resources. Existing M4 Max owners should weigh an upgrade carefully. Our video tests showed relatively modest time savings, although workflows limited by internal storage speed may benefit more substantially. M3 Ultra owners shouldnt assume M5 Max is faster across the board: it wins Cinebench GPU rendering, but M3 Ultra retains advantages in multicore rendering and Metal compute. Upgrade only if the benefits justify the cost for your work. Availability may become limited due to the global RAM shortages. For more guidance, read: Should you buy a Mac Studio now or wait? Considering an alternative? Read our Best Mac buying guide .
ACB nabs govt officer in Mancherial for demanding Rs 1.3L bribe
Hyderabad: Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday, September 22, arrested a government officer in Mancherial for demanding a bribe of Rs 1.30 lakh. The accused was identified as Durga Prasad, Grama Paripalana Officer (GPO) of Peddapeta Gram Panchayat. Prasad allegedly sought a bribe for validating a land transfer and issuing Patta Passbooks. He, along with his 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 .
ICC Chief Jay Shah, BCCI Secy Saikia Hail Indian Womens Cricket Team After Asian Games Gold
BCCI Secy Saikia: ICC chairman Jay Shah and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia congratulated the Indian womens cricket team after it successfully defended its Asian Games gold medal with a commanding 147-run victory over Sri Lanka in the final in Nisshin on Tuesday. India produced a dominant all-round performance to claim its first gold medal of the ongoing Asian Games. Smriti Mandhanas 79 off 45 balls powered India to a record 216/3 before the bowlers dismissed Sri Lanka for just 69. Congratulations to India womens team for winning the Asian Games gold! And well played Sri Lanka on clinching silver in Japan after a strong campaign. As we look ahead to crickets return to the Olympics at #LA28, spectacles like this prove that the womens game is ready to command the biggest multi-sport stages, Jay Shah wrote on X on Monday. Mandhanas innings included seven sixes and five fours, while Shafali Verma contributed 48 off 29 balls. Richa Ghosh then provided the late impetus with an unbeaten 49 off 22 deliveries as India posted the highest total in the history of the womens Asian Games cricket competition. Saikia hailed the team for securing back-to-back Asian Games gold medals, while also highlighting the sides recent success at the Asia Cup. Heartiest congratulations to our Womens Team @BCCIWomen on winning Gold at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya! Back-to-back Asian Games Gold medals a remarkable achievement and a truly proud moment for Indian cricket. After a dominant Asia Cup campaign in Dubai , the team carried that winning momentum into Nagoya, playing with confidence, flair and determination throughout. Congratulations to each member of Womens Team , both players and support staff. You have made the nation proud once again! Indias bowlers then completed a comprehensive victory. Deepti Sharma was the standout performer with figures of 3-6, while Shafali Verma and Sree Charani claimed two wickets each. Shreyanka Patil also took two wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69. Chamari Athapaththu top-scored for Sri Lanka with 29 off 21 balls, but the chase never gained momentum as India kept striking at regular intervals. Indias bowlers then completed a comprehensive victory. Deepti Sharma was the standout performer with figures of 3-6, while Shafali Verma and Sree Charani claimed two wickets each. Shreyanka Patil also took two wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Indias 216/3 also broke the previous Asian Games record of 202/4, set by Hong Kong against Mongolia in the 2023 Hangzhou Games. The total was also the highest in a womens T20 final, surpassing the previous mark of 210 set by Brazil against Spain earlier this year. Article Source: IANS
Uproar In J&K Assembly Over Maharaja Hari Singh, Sheikh Abdullah Holiday Row
Members of the PDP also joined, demanding restoration of public holiday on July 13, observed as Martyrs' Day in the erstwhile state.
Asian Games: Left Column Finally Has A Medal, Says India Coach Muzumdar On Gold Win
Amol Muzumdar: India womens cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar said the teams successful title defence at the 2026 Asian Games could trigger a run of gold medals for the country after India defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final at Nagoya on Tuesday. India, which retained the womens cricket title from the previous edition, posted 216/3 before dismissing Sri Lanka for 69. The victory gave the country its first gold medal of the 2026 edition. It came after a campaign shaped by a demanding international schedule, unfamiliar playing conditions and a short turnaround between matches. Its been fantastic. Im really happy that you know that finally that left-hand side column (Gold) has got one medal and Im sure post this, therell be a streak of Gold medals for India at the Games hereon, Muzumdar told IANS after Indias second successive Asiad gold. The result followed Indias recent Asia Cup triumph in Dubai, with Muzumdar underlining the physical and tactical adjustments players needed as they moved from one tournament to another. Every tournament has got its own significance; every tournament has got its own pressures. The demands are different. So I guess it wasnt easy going into Dubai and winning the Asia Cup. The humidity level over there was very high, and the conditions were tough, but you know, hats off to every player; they stuck at it, and they showed very good performance in the Asia Cup in Dubai. But coming from Dubai straight into Japan, straight to Tokyo and then to Nagoya, its been a fabulous journey for everyone. There were demands of this tournament as well. We didnt know what conditions we would get over here. There was a hybrid pitch, and they adapted to the pitch conditions and the overhead conditions really well. Indias batting set the tone for the final. Smriti Mandhana struck 79 from 45 deliveries, Shafali Verma made 48 off 29, and Richa Ghosh added an unbeaten 49 from 22 balls. The combined effort took India to the highest total recorded in womens cricket at the Asian Games. Muzumdar said the teams preparation window between matches also helped the players settle into the conditions before the decisive stages of the competition, stating, Yeah, we did. We played a game on 18th, and then we had a break on 19, and then we played the semifinals on the 20th. So we had a couple of days' break, and we used it really well. The bowlers then completed the victory, with Deepti Sharma taking three wickets and Shafali Verma and Sree Charani claiming two each. Sri Lankas chase never gathered momentum as India maintained pressure throughout the innings. Away from the field, Muzumdar said the team had also enjoyed its time in Japan, particularly the hospitality and local cuisine. I enjoyed Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality and the food here. Im a foodie, as I said before, so I enjoyed the food here too. We explored the city and the food. Its been fantastic so far in Japan. For Muzumdar, the celebrations will be the culmination of a preparation process that began well before the Asian Games. He credited the players and support staff for sustaining their effort through the campaign. I enjoyed Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality and the food here. Im a foodie, as I said before, so I enjoyed the food here too. We explored the city and the food. Its been fantastic so far in Japan. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Indias victory over Sri Lanka extended its dominance in the womens cricket event at the Asian Games, with the team now holding gold medals from both editions in which the sport has featured. Article Source: IANS
PM, President, Odisha CM, LoP Naveen Hail Historic Women
Indias womens cricket team delivered a commanding performance to clinch the Gold Medal in Womens T20 Cricket at the Asian Games 2026, securing the nations first Gold of this edition. President Droupadi Murmu congratulated the team for their historic victory and praised their exceptional performance, team spirit and determination, noting the inspiration it provides to [] The post PM, President, Odisha CM, LoP Naveen Hail Historic Womens Cricket Gold appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .
Mac mini (M5 Pro) review: Killer performance at a lethal price
Macworld At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Small and quiet Great performance for its size Large unified memory is great for AI Cons The price is moving in the wrong direction Upgrade prices are crazy as ever Our Verdict Some things are objectively good, but still very hard to recommend. Thats how I feel about the Mac mini with M5 Pro. It delivers the performance improvement we expect to see two years after the prior model, but the price has gone up by even more than the performance. And Apple hasnt made changes to the design or features to offset the plain simple fact that the value propositionalready a tough sellhas gotten worse. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Price When Reviewed $1,699 Best Prices Today: Apple Mac mini (M5 Pro, 2026) Retailer Price $1,669.99 View Deal $1699 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide It has been almost two years since Apple introduced the Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro. Its replacement splits generations in an odd way: the less expensive model makes the leap to M6, while the higher-endl model gets an M5 Pro, rather than an M6 Pro. For all we know, there may never be an M6 Pro . In the time between releases, due in part to the exploding costs of RAM and flash storage as the result of a race to build AI data centers, the Mac mini jumped up significantly in price. The M6 entry-level model costs a whopping $899, a full 50 percent more than the M4s $599 starting price, and that still includes the same 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Two years ago, we loved the power and efficiency of Apples surprisingly small computer, but were dismayed by how much more you paid for even the most modest upgrades. This years model is the same computer with a faster chip, and the price has gone through the roof. Is it still a worthwhile purchase? Lets dive in. M5 Pro Mac mini: Preposterous pricing The M4 Mac mini cost $599 in late 2024, with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It was a great starting price, but at the time we noted the greedy pricing of RAM and SSD upgrades: simply stepping up one level to 32GB and 512GB of storage cost another $600. In other words, Apple was charging as much for 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage as an upgrade as it was for an entire computer with that same RAM and storage. Absurd! It gives me no pleasure to say that pricing has gotten much worse. The starting price of this generation, the M6 Mac mini, is 50 percent higher at $899. It still has 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It still costs $600 to add another 16GB of RAM (a total of 32GB) and 256GB of storage (a total of 512GB). Want the more powerful chip? The M5 Pro version, with a cut-back version of the chip that has fewer CPU and GPU cores, 24GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, is $1,699. The same configuration of the M4 Pro model was $1,399. Basically, youre paying $300 more to get your foot in the door with the Mac mini, a change that undermines its entire existence as a small and affordable Mac. The version were reviewing here has the full M5 Pro chip (a +$200 upgrade), 48GB of RAM (+$600) an 1TB SSD (+$300), and 10 gigabit Ethernet (+$100). Thats $2,899. Two years ago, the M4 Pro version of this computer with these same specs cost $2,299, and even that felt high. For reference, the Mac Studio with M5 Max (18-core CPU and 32-core GPU), 36GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD is actually less expensive at $2,799, offers more ports, and has a much more powerful GPU. I know the prices of all things related to computers have gone crazy lately, but this is just ridiculous and shows how disproportionate Apples upgrade pricing has gotten. Make it make sense, Apple. M5 Pro Mac mini: Design Physically, the new Mac mini is exactly like the two-year-old model. It has exactly the same dimensions, weight, and port configuration, including three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back and two USB-C ports in the front. Foundry There are three small improvements worth noting, other than the obvious jump from the M4/M4 Pro to the M6/M5 Pro: The Ethernet port is a 2.5 gigabit port, rather than a gigabit port (you can still opt for a 10 gigabit port). It uses Apples N1 wireless chip, so you get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 (up from Wi-FI 6E and Bluetooth 5.3). The Thunderbolt 5 ports support higher resolutions and refresh rates when using multiple connected displays. Foundry The bottom still has the same round ventilation riser and a recessed power button that is, for better or worse, rather hard to get to. Foundry M5 Pro Mac mini: Performance After two years, what youre really paying hundreds of dollars more for is the new chip. While the M6 is the newest generation, there are no higher-end Pro or Max versions of it. Instead, the higher-end Mac mini is the same M5 Pro introduced in the MacBook Pro about six months ago. Its quite a bit faster than the M4 Pro was, but we had reservations about the price/performance ratio on that computer and those have only gotten worse now. As time goes on, computers are supposed to get more powerful at the same price, or even cheaper. Theyre not supposed to be 25 percent faster but cost 30% more. And yet here we are. Geekbench 7 Lets take a look at CPU and GPU compute performance with the latest edition of the ever-reliable Geekbench. Foundry Thats a 12 percent jump in single-core CPU performance over the M4 Pro from 2 years ago, and a bigger 38 percent jump in multi-core performance. We went form 14 cores (10 performance and 4 efficiency) to 18 cores (6 super and 12 performance), hence the big boost in multi-threaded CPU performance. Lets look at GPU compute power for the M5 Pro, which has the same 20 GPU cores as the M4 Pro. Foundry Were looking at an improvement of around 20 percent for the GPU, partly from the higher-performing GPU cores and partly from the extra 12 percent of memory bandwidth. Geekbench AI AI performance is becoming increasingly important. Even if youre not a big user of local AI agents, Apples own machine learning tools are prevalent throughout the system, from Siri AI to Photos to Dictation and so much more. The Geekbench AI test lets you run a series of common ML tasks using the CPU, GPU, or Neural Engine. Were interested in the latters performance here. Foundry Neural Engine performance keeps creeping upward, from the M4 Pro to M5 to M5 Pro. Its about 33 percent faster in the low-precision data formats that are most often used when youre not doing AI training. We dont have data for the M6 Mac mini yet, but this is one area where that much less expensive system could outstrip the M5 Pro model, possibly by a wide margin. With the Neural Engine doubled to 32 cores, we can expect lower-precision AI tasks where memory bandwidth isnt the limit to run a lot faster. Cinebench 2026 Cinebench is a great test of a certain kind of CPU performance as it renders offline computer graphics, the kind of high-quality but very slow rendering used in TV and film. Foundry A single core is only 11 percent faster, but when theyre all working at once, the higher core count and change to the core configuration in the M5 Pro make a big difference. Performance goes up by 40 percent, a big jump even when you consider its has been two years between products. HandBrake video encode HandBrake uses standard video encoder libraries to transcode videos. We used the Creative Commons license Tears of Steel video in 4K, and transcode it down to a 1080p H.265 format, using both a CPU-based x265 encoder and the videotoolbox encoder that leverages Apples dedicated video encoding hardware. Foundry This test is a measure of how many seconds the transcode takes, so shorter results are better. Again, the increase in core count and configuration change results in a big multi-core CPU benefit, as the CPU-based encoder runs 26 percent faster. The newer hardware video encoder gets even a bigger boost, thoughits done in 41 percent less time! Game benchmarks A Mac mini is not really a gamers machine. Youd be crazy to spend this kind of money on a Mac expecting to play the latest games, and the limited cooling potential of a little Mac mini enclosure makes it struggle and get loud when playing a high-end game. Still, game benchmarks tend to stress the entire system at oncethe CPU, GPU, and memoryand are a great look at total system performance. Foundry The Borderlands 3 test only runs a little faster at lower resolutions and settings. But Apples newer GPU, despite still only having 20 cores, runs the game much better at 4K and High settings. You get a 52 percent improvement with those particular settings, though its still not really very smooth, and we would recommend lower settings for anyone trying to play this on a Mac mini. Foundry The real-time strategy game Total War: Warhammer III is very demanding, and at 4K the M5 Pro just cant cut it. Theres still a 31 percent improvement at 1080p and High settings, however. Foundry Rise of the Tomb Raider is getting a little old, and most modern Macs can run it quite well. The new Mac mini runs this game about 10-15 percent better than the one from two years ago. Overall, the combination of more CPU cores in a higher-performing configuration, a bit more memory bandwidth, and a new GPU core design pays off for 3D games. Blackmagic Disk Speed A final bit of great news as we close out the benchmarks. Apples latest SSD hardware is fully present here, offering a huge boost to performance where it was sorely needed. Foundry Back in the M1 and M2 days, Apples storage performance was second to none. But as you can see, it remained stagnant for years, and only recently doubled in performance with the latest generation. This puts it back on the level with some of the best Windows PCs you can buy. Should you buy an M5 Pro Mac mini? Theres not much to talk about with the new M5 Pro Mac mini other than performance. It looks identical to the 2-year-old model that preceded it, and have only modest improvements to wireless features and multi-display support that most users will probably not notice. So what we have, essentially, is the same computer as Apple was selling in late 2024, only faster. The good news is, its an appropriate speed boost given the two year gap. A CPU speedup of 10-30 percent and a GPU improvement of 20-40 percent is what you can expect in most cases, which would be a lot for a year-over-year boost, but is about what we expect after two years between releases. Its a respectable improvement. If the price was the same, we could confidently claim this is a very good update. But the price is not the same. Two years ago, the base model of the Mac mini was a very good deal, but the value proposition quickly disintegrated when you started adding on Apples outrageously-priced upgrades. Today, the base model is 50 percent more expensive and higher configurations cost hundreds of dollars more. The model I reviewed two years ago was $2,299 and configured almost exactly like the one Im reviewing now, save for the M5 Pro instead of the M4 Pro. Now it costs you $2,899. Thats not how its supposed to work. As time marches on, youre supposed to get a faster computer for the same price or less. Or at least a bunch of new features to make up the difference. An identical machine that is 25-30 percent faster but costs 25-50 percent more is moving in the wrong direction. Of course, the current RAM and SSD crunch are affecting everyone, and every company writing a blank check for endless AI investment is to blame. The price increases that resulted from this are not Apples fault , but it is Apples problem . This is a good computer at a bad price, and its not worth the upgrade if youre not in desperate need of one. And if you are, I feel sorry for you; this is a terrible time to buy any computer.
SG Mehta's 'Naxalite' remark sparks heated exchange in SC
A heated exchange occurred in the Supreme Court between senior advocate S Muralidhar and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta over Mehta's use of the term Naxalites during a hearing on the national song Vande Mataram. Muralidhar strongly objected to the remark, demanding its withdrawal, while Mehta defended his statement, referring to an ideology rather than individuals. The bench intervened, emphasising decorum and constitutional issues.
World Is Bigger Than 5: After India, Turkey Calls For UN Security Council Reforms
UNSC was established in 1945, in the aftermath of World War II. Since then, its permanent membership has remained unchanged, holding the five permanent seats, each with veto power, commanding disproportionate influence.
Jagan to meet Governor over alleged attack on YSRCP rallies demanding CBI probe into DSC recruitment
YSRCP president alleges Chief Minister Naidu and Minister Lokesh sent groups to attack party workers, says police booked the victims instead, and demands cases against both leaders
Jagan to meet Governor over alleged attack on YSRCP rallies demanding CBI probe into DSC recruitment
YSRCP president alleges Chief Minister Naidu and Minister Lokesh sent groups to attack party workers, says police booked the victims instead, and demands cases against both leaders
Maharashtra drought: Raut asks govt to divert Kumbh funds for farmer relief
Sanjay Raut said several parts of Maharashtra, particularly Marathwada and Vidarbha, are facing drought-like conditions due to a weak monsoon. The Opposition has been demanding an immediate declaration of drought and relief measures for affected farmers
Delhi Police Arrest Rape Accused After Firing Exchange
A man identified as Asif, accused of raping a 17-year-old girl near Kalkaji Mandir, was arrested after a police encounter in southeast Delhi. Two other suspects, an advocate and his brother, are being questioned. Asif allegedly fired at police during interception, leading to an exchange of fire where he was injured and subsequently apprehended. The incident involved three men posing as policemen, abducting the girl and her friend, and then raping the girl in Astha Kunj Park.
Opposition Rallies Against UP Ministers Division Proposal, Calls for Action
Opposition leaders criticize UP Minister O.P. Rajbhars comments on dividing the state, demanding accountability and development. Opposition Rallies Against UP Ministers Division Proposal, Calls for Action
Ever wondered what it would be like to spend a holiday in a celebrity home? From Ajinkya Rahanes 71,438-a-night Igatpuri villa to Mandira Bedis colourful Madh Island retreat, these five properties offer a glimpse into the spaces associated with some of Indias best-known stars.
17-year-old assaulted at Delhis Astha Kunj Park by men impersonating police
A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir on the night of September 21, 2026, by three individuals posing as police officers. During a subsequent arrest attempt by southeast Delhi police, suspect Asif allegedly opened fire and was injured in the ensuing encounter.
Asian Games Cricket: Smriti Mandhana becomes first woman to score 11,000 international runs
Smriti Mandhana achieved a historic milestone by scoring 11,000 international runs. She became the first woman cricketer to reach this significant career achievement. Mandhana scored 79 runs against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games final. Her impressive knock included five fours and seven sixes. India secured a commanding victory in the championship match.
Delhi News | Teen Gang-Raped By 3 Men Posing As Cops In South Delhi Park
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men who posed as policemen at a park near Kalkaji Mandir in South Delhi. Police said the accused allegedly threatened the girl and her 17-year-old friend, with one allegedly brandishing a firearm and knife. Following a probe and CCTV scans, police traced the accused. One accused, identified as Asif, allegedly opened fire at police during an interception and was shot in the leg. The other two accused, Hemant and Mukesh, were also arrested. A POCSO case has been registered.
GOC reviews Agniveer training at Ladakh regimental centre, inaugurates DTN
Leh, Sep 22: Lieutenant General Madanraj Pandey, GOC, Fire and Fury Corps, visited the Ladakh scouts regimental centre and reviewed the training aspects for Agniveers and key regimental updates, officials said. The General Officer Commanding (GOC) also inaugurated a drone training node (DTN) aimed at strengthening technology-enabled training capabilities at the centre. He reviewed the training infrastructure and witnessed a demonstration at the Chinese language lab, showcasing contemporary and operationally relevant training on Monday, they said. Lt Gen Pandey interacted with the Ladakh Scouts personnel over tea and commended them for their professionalism, dedication and commitment to duty, the Army said.
Protest not to justify cheating but...: IIT Bombay students
Students at IIT Bombay are demanding 'meaningful institutional reforms' and greater accountability following the death of Sahil Wakode, a second-year B Tech student. While condemning academic misconduct, students highlight systemic issues and have submitted a comprehensive set of demands to the Director, who has agreed to implement them. The protest also addresses the removal of Dean Suryanarayana Doolla during an investigation into alleged abetment to suicide and caste discrimination, emphasising the need for an independent probe.
Political Tensions Rise in Bihar Following Jamui Molestation Incident
The Jamui molestation case has sparked political outrage in Bihar, with leaders demanding justice and accountability for the accused. Political Tensions Rise in Bihar Following Jamui Molestation Incident
Delhi Minor Allegedly Gangraped By Three Men Posing As Cops Near Kalkaji Temple
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by three men posing as policemen at Astha Kunj Park in southeast Delhis Kalkaji area on Monday evening, police said. According to police, the girl had gone to Kalkaji Mandir with a 17-year-old male friend to offer prayers around 7pm. After visiting the temple, the two went to Astha [] The post Delhi Minor Allegedly Gangraped By Three Men Posing As Cops Near Kalkaji Temple appeared first on Pragativadi I Latest Odisha News in English I Breaking News .
Digital Desk | Bengaluru, Sep 22 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka on Tuesday criticised the state government over the impending crisis involving staff of the 108 Arogya Kavacha free ambulance service, who have reportedly warned of mass resignations demanding revision of their salaries and changes to their daily duty schedules. He also criticised Health Minister U.T. Khader over repeated meetings being held with the ambulance service workers without any resolution in sight. The Karnataka 108 Arogya Kavacha ambulance staff association set a 15-day deadline ending on September 22, warning of an indefinite service shutdown and mass resignations starting tonight if their pending salary revisions and service demands are unfulfilled. Ashoka said the situation had raised concerns over the possibility of the 108 emergency ambulance service being completely disrupted across the state and questioned whether the lives of people had no value for the government. Is there no value for peoples lives? Ashoka asked, accusing the government of negligence, and administrative failure. He questioned Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the alleged failure to address the grievances of ambulance employees who work round the clock to provide emergency services. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, can you not see the difficulties faced by ambulance employees who rush to serve people during emergencies, day and night, irrespective of rain or wind, while you make hollow speeches about public service? Ashoka asked. He also criticised Health Minister alleging that repeated meetings were being held in the name of finding a solution without resolving the employees concerns. Health Minister U.T. Khader, instead of holding meeting after meeting and giving excuses in the name of resolving the issue, when will justice be delivered to the employees? Ashoka asked. Ashoka further alleged that the governments contractual dispute with GVK was affecting an essential emergency service used by the public. He urged the government to stop what he described as playing with the lives of poor people and resolve the issue at the earliest. He said bringing the situation to a stage where a basic life-saving service meant for poor people during emergencies could be disrupted was evidence of the alleged incompetence of the Congress government. Ashoka demanded that the government immediately fulfil the just demands of the 108 ambulance employees and ensure that the emergency ambulance service continued without interruption. He warned that failure to resolve the issue would lead to public resentment against the government. The government must immediately fulfil the legitimate demands of the 108 employees and ensure that the ambulance service continues without any disruption. Otherwise, the people of Karnataka will teach this insensitive government a fitting lesson, Ashoka said.
Delhi Police register POCSO case over alleged gang-rape of minor near Kalkaji Temple
Delhi Police registered an FIR concerning the alleged sexual assault of a minor near Kalkaji Mandir. One accused, Asif, was apprehended after an exchange of fire with police officers. Asif allegedly opened fire at the police team, injuring a head constable in self-defense. The victim was medically examined, and evidence was collected from the encounter site. Efforts are underway to trace the remaining accused individuals involved in the incident.
Digital Desk | Jaipur, Sep 22 (IANS) The election for the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Khatushyamji Municipality in Sikar district was postponed amid a late-night dispute over the absence of Congress councillor Lakshmi Devi from the voting process. The controversy began after Lakshmi Devi, the Congress councillor from Ward 10, failed to appear for voting. The voting deadline was extended several times to allow her to cast her vote. According to local reports, the process continued late into Monday night, with the voting records eventually sealed after midnight. The Returning Officer subsequently announced that the election had been postponed until further orders following directions from the State Election Commission. The dispute is significant because the 20-member Khatushyamji Municipality has an equal number of BJP and Congress councillorseight eachalong with three Independents and one RLP councillor. Eleven votes are required for a majority. The political drama continued throughout Monday after Lakshmi Devi did not reach the polling venue. The Returning Officer extended the voting time repeatedly, with reports putting the final extension at around 11:30 p.m.. BJP leaders and supporters staged a sit-in outside the municipality, demanding that Lakshmi Devi be allowed to vote. A complaint was also lodged with the police over allegations concerning her disappearance. These allegations have been made by her family and BJP supporters; they have not been established as fact. Congress leaders, meanwhile, objected to the repeated extensions. Congress MLA Virendra Singh, district president Sunita Githala and former Pradhan Bhanwarlal Verma reportedly approached the District Collector, questioning the extension of the polling deadline. The sit-ins by supporters of both parties continued amid the uncertainty. BJP leaders alleged that Congress had deliberately kept its councillor away from the voting process, while the councillor's family levelled allegations against the Congress. Lakshmi Devi is the councillor from Ward 10 and was elected on a Congress ticket. Election records show that she won the ward with 172 votes, defeating BJP's Mamta Devi by 37 votes. BJP candidate Prem Devi and Congress candidate Vinita Poonia are contesting for the Chairman's post. Reports have described Lakshmi Devi as a relative of Prem Devi, adding another dimension to the dispute. After the protests ended, supporters of both parties left the municipality premises. Memorandums containing their respective demands were submitted to the election authorities. The voting records were secured and sealed in the presence of representatives of both parties. BJP leaders also contacted senior state-level officials to apprise them of the developments. Late on Monday night, Returning Officer Kapil Upadhyay told the media that, following instructions from the State Election Commission, the elections for Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Khatushyamji Municipality had been postponed until further orders. The final outcome of the Chairman's election will, therefore, be known only after the election authorities issue further directions.
Digital Desk | Jaipur, Sep 22 (IANS) The political tussle over the Tijara Municipal Council Chairperson election, which began on Monday morning, continued late into the night. Following intervention by the Rajasthan High Court, the voting deadline was extended, first to 8 p.m. and later to 10 p.m., amid delays in councilors reaching the polling station. The election result was declared after 10 p.m. with Congress candidate Ramavatar Saini winning the Chairperson's post with 18 votes. Returning Officer and SDM Divya handed him the certificate of election. The Tijara Municipal Council has 35 councilors, and 18 votes were required to secure the Chairperson's post. The dispute reached the Rajasthan High Court following allegations that Congress-backed councilors were stopped in Haryana while returning from a camp in Himachal Pradesh. Congress leaders alleged that the councilors were intercepted near Panchkula while entering Haryana and were unable to reach Tijara in time for the scheduled voting. The matter was heard by a single Bench of the Rajasthan High Court presided over by Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand. The court directed the ADM of Bhiwadi to submit a report on the incident to the State Election Commission. Following the developments, the voting deadline was extended to allow the election process to continue. Voting, initially scheduled until 8 p.m., was subsequently extended until 10 p.m. because of delays in the arrival of the councilors. The State Election Commission's instructions stated that if all councilors completed voting before 10 p.m., counting would begin immediately after polling concluded. Earlier, at around 3:30 a.m. on Monday, former MLA Sandeep Yadav, District Congress President Balram Yadav, and Congress candidate Ramavatar Saini, accompanied by party workers, reached the Returning Officer's residence. They demanded that the election be postponed until the detained councilors were brought safely to Tijara. A complaint was subsequently lodged with Tijara police station SHO Jaiprakash. Congress leaders claimed that some councilors had expressed concerns through video messages, saying they had been taken to an undisclosed location and feared for their safety. Congress workers later staged a protest near the police station. Congress leaders also alleged that former MLA Sandeep Yadav was detained for several hours at Farrukhnagar near Gurugram. The police version of events regarding the allegation had not been released at the time of the filing of the report. The Congress questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged detention of the councilors, while the developments surrounding the election were taken up before the Rajasthan High Court and the State Election Commission. On Monday morning, former MLA Sandeep Yadav, District Congress President Balram Yadav, Congress candidate Ramavatar Saini, Block President Dharmpal Gurjar, and Deputy Pradhan Dayaram Chavda, along with women and other party workers, gathered near the police station. The protesters raised slogans demanding that the councilors be brought safely to Tijara and allowed to participate in the election. By 2 p.m., reports indicated that 16 of the 35 councilors had cast their votes. Meanwhile, the matter was taken up by the Rajasthan High Court. In compliance with the State Election Commission's order, voting for the Tijara Municipal Council Chairperson election was allowed to continue until 10 p.m.. The order stated that if all councilors completed voting before the deadline, counting would begin immediately after polling ended. The election result was subsequently declared after 10 p.m., with Ramavatar Saini securing the Chairperson post with 18 votes.
Indian men's kabaddi team beat Korea in second Group A game
Digital Desk | Nagoya, Sep 22 (IANS) India continued their unbeaten run at the 2026 Asian Games with a commanding 6331 victory over the South Korea in their second Group A fixture at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium on Tuesday. Sunil Kumar-led side took early control of the contest and never let go. The Indian raiding unit was clinical throughout, picking up 38 out points across the match against Korea's 23, while the defence backed that up with a string of successful tackles that repeatedly stalled Korea's attacking rhythm. India raced to a 3414 lead at the interval, built on 23 out points and seven bonus points in the opening half alone, along with two All-Outs that Korea simply had no answer for. Korea's raiders struggled to find gaps in the Indian defensive line, managing just 10 touch points of their own before the break. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Korea showing marginally more fight but never threatening a comeback. India added a further 29 points after the restart, inflicting one more All-Out and stretching their bonus-point tally to 17 for the match, while Korea's response yielded 17 points but nothing close to the scale needed to peg back the deficit. With the win, India remain firmly on course to top Group A, having now beaten hosts Japan and Korea in successive outings. The men's team next takes on Bangladesh on September 23 in Group A action as they continue their pursuit of a ninth Asian Games gold in the last ten editions. India are the most successful team in the history of Asian Games kabaddi by a long way, with 11 golds from the 13 titles that have been on offer. The men have won eight of nine, losing only in Jakarta 2018 when they took bronze. The women have won three of four, with a silver in 2018. Japan's best Asian Games finish came at Guangzhou 2010, when the men took bronze.
17-year-old gang-raped by 3 men posing as cops in Delhi
A man identified as Asif, accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl near Kalkaji Mandir, has been arrested following a police encounter in southeast Delhi. Asif, one of three men who allegedly posed as policemen, fired at the police team before being shot in the leg during the exchange. The incident occurred in Astha Kunj Park, and police are now searching for the other two accused.
Three men allegedly posed as policemen before taking the 17-year-old and her male friend to a secluded spot in the South Delhi park; one accused later injured in encounter.
105 theft instances caught on CCTV: Here's what SIT probe finds in Ram Mandir donation case
The SIT on Tuesday filed its latest report before the Supreme Court in connection with alleged irregularities in the amount of offerings and donations at the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya . According to the court order, the SIT said the investigation is now complete and the chargesheet could be filed by September 25. According to the SIT report, the case relates to allegations of unauthorised withdrawal and irregularities in the amount of offerings and donations received at the temple. A case was registered against eight persons in the case on June 25, 2026 at the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya. CCTV footage, witness statements, bank records, mobile data and other documents were examined during the investigation.
IIT Mandi Recruitment 2026 - Walkin for Project Associate/ JRF Posts
Indian Institute of Technology Mandi has announced the Recruitment 2026 notification for 1 Project Associate/ JRF post. Eligible candidates can attend the walk-in interview on 01-10-2026 at the designated venue. The detailed notification is available on the official website.
Delhi horror: Minor girl gang-raped by men posing as cops
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men posing as cops at a park near Delhis Kalkaji Mandir, officials have said. According to the officials, the girl and her friend went to Kalkaji Mandir at around 7 p.m. on Monday. After offering prayers at the temple, the two went 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 .
Delhi horror: Minor girl gang-raped by men posing as cops near Kalkaji Mandir; one arrested
Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men posing as cops at a park near Delhi's Kalkaji Mandir, officials have said. According to the officials, the girl and her friend went to Kalkaji Mandir at around 7 p.m. on Monday. After offering prayers at the temple, the two went to a nearby park at around 7:30 p.m. Three accused, aged around 25-30 years, approached them, claiming to be policemen, according to the complainant. Officials said that the men threatened the two and raped the girl. The police said that the PCR call regarding the rape at the park near Kalkaji Mandir and ISKCON Temple was received at 8.45 p.m., following which a team reached the spot. Subsequently, one of the accused, identified as Asif, was apprehended following an encounter with the police. Asif sustained a gunshot wound and is currently receiving medical assistance, officials said. An investigation is underway, while efforts to locate the other two accused are ongoing. This comes just days after a sixth-grade student was sexually assaulted inside a shop in Delhi's Sadar Bazaar area after she was restrained and her hands and legs were tied. The minor had reportedly gone out to purchase stationery when the incident took place. During this time, she was allegedly lured into a nearby shop by the accused, where she was restrained and sexually assaulted. The incident came to light after police received a PCR call on the night of September 16 regarding the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl by a shopkeeper, officials said. Police said the accused, identified as 56-year-old Maqsood, was arrested. Following his arrest, he was sent to judicial custody on the same day after due legal procedure. Earlier, on September 13, another incident came to light. A gang rape and murder of a teenage girl by four persons, including three juveniles, occurred in Delhi, with police saying the accused subsequently abandoned her body in an open area. Parts of the victim's decomposed body were later found to have been eaten by stray dogs. According to police, the incident came to light on September 13 when the girl's severely decomposed body was discovered near a field along Kushak Road in the Swaroop Nagar area of North Delhi. The condition of the body was such that police could not initially determine the victim's gender. Subsequently, after a thorough investigation, four persons connected with the incident, including three juveniles, were arrested. The latest incident has thrown light on the poor law and order situation in the national Capital and the lack of safety of women and girls.
IIT-Bombay Suicide Case: Students Demand Probe, Faculty Defend Professor
The death of IIT Bombay student Sahil has triggered a wider campus row over accountability, with students continuing to protest and hundreds of faculty members expressing solidarity with a professor at the centre of the controversy. Sahils family has alleged caste-based discrimination and is demanding that all CCTV footage be examined and the complete truth emerge, including a CBI probe. The institute has apologised for its initial statement on the case and said the matter is subject to investigation. Meanwhile, Professor Dulla has been removed as Dean but continues as a faculty member, fuelling questions from students over the action taken. With the campus response divided, the case has become a major debate over student welfare, institutional accountability and the handling of complaints at IIT Bombay. #IITBombay #SahilWakode #SahilDeathCase #IITBombayProtests #IITBombayNews #StudentSafety
3 pose as cops, gang-rape Delhi teen near Kalkaji Mandir
Apni Party stages protest outside Assembly over reservation policy, public issues
Srinagar, Sep 21:The Apni Party staged a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on the opening day of the autumn session on Monday, raising concerns over the reservation policy, unemployment and other issues affecting the public. The protest was led by Apni Party Provincial President Mohammad Ashraf Mir, along with party leaders and workers, who raised slogans and accused the government of failing to fulfil its electoral commitments and address pressing public concerns. A key demand of the protesters was a fair, transparent and judicious reservation policy. Mir criticised the existing policy and called for greater transparency over the recommendations of the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to examine the issue. The existing reservation policy is unjust and completely contrary to the principles of merit, Mir said, while demanding that the Cabinet Sub-Committees report be made public. He said Jammu and Kashmir needed a reservation framework that ensured justice, equity and fairness to all sections of society. Mir also criticised the government over unemployment and what he described as unfulfilled electoral promises. The government had promised to provide one lakh jobs to the youth soon after assuming office. It had also promised free electricity and gas cylinders to consumers, besides an additional quota of ration. However, these promises have turned out to be nothing more than hollow assurances, he said. Police stopped the protesters during the demonstration and detained several party leaders and workers, including Mir and Apni Party Srinagar District President Zaffar Habib Dar. Addressing a press conference later, Apni Party Chief Spokesperson MuntazirMohiuddin said the party had chosen to protest outside the Assembly as it had no representation inside the House. Apni Party has no representation in the Legislative Assembly, so peaceful protest is one of the few democratic means available to us to raise our voice against government failures and highlight the concerns of the people, he said. Mohiuddin condemned the detention of party leaders and workers, including women members, terming it a restriction on their right to express their concerns. By detaining our leaders, including women leaders and party workers, the authorities have denied us our legitimate democratic right to voice our concerns. We strongly condemn the detention of our leaders and workers, he said. Such actions cannot silence our voice or deter us from standing up for the rights and interests of the people, Mohiuddin added. He said the party would continue to raise issues concerning the public. We remain committed to raising our voice for the rights of the people and will continue to highlight public issues and grievances, no matter what pressure or obstacles we face, he said.
Rethinking Higher Education in Jammu and Kashmir
There is something unsettling about an empty classroom. It is easy to see the vacant benches as a statistical problem: a shortfall in enrolment, an inefficient utilisation of public infrastructure, or evidence that young people are losing interest in higher education. But an empty classroom may be saying something more complicated. It may be telling us that the relationship between the student, the teacher, the institution and the idea of education itself is changing. Recent data place Jammu and Kashmirs Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education at around 21.5 per cent, considerably below the national figure of roughly 30 per cent. The numbers become even more striking when one looks at government degree colleges. The government has acknowledged that its colleges possess a sanctioned capacity of 116,767 seats, while admissions in the previous session stood at 45,438- leaving a substantial proportion of available capacity unused. The government has consequently indicated that there is no immediate need to establish new degree colleges and that the emphasis should instead be on making better use of existing institutions. The obvious response is to ask: why are students not coming to college? But perhaps that is not quite the right question. The more difficult question is: what has happened to the meaning of the college in the imagination of the student? I ask this question from within the institution. As a contractual lecturer in a government degree college in Jammu and Kashmir, I do not encounter higher education merely as an aggregate of enrolment ratios, sanctioned posts and administrative reports. I encounter it in the more prosaic circumstances in which institutions reveal themselves: in classrooms, corridors, conversations with students, attendance registers, questions that are asked and questions that remain unasked. There is a peculiar intimacy to observing an institution from inside. One begins to notice not only what the official statistics capture, but also what they cannot. The first temptation is to conclude that students have become indifferent to education. I am not convinced. Young people in Jammu and Kashmir remain intensely invested in education. Families continue to spend considerable resources on professional courses, competitive examinations, technical education and degrees that appear to promise employment. The problem, therefore, may not be a disappearance of aspiration. It may be a reorientation of aspiration. The conventional degree college is increasingly being asked to justify itself. A degree that once carried an almost self-evident promise of social mobility can no longer rely upon that promise. Students are more conscious of the distance between obtaining a qualification and securing a meaningful livelihood. They compare conventional degrees with professional programmes, specialised courses, universities outside Jammu and Kashmir, vocational pathways and an expanding digital ecosystem of knowledge and certification. The question confronting the student is increasingly blunt: What will this education allow me to become? This is not necessarily a decline of educational values. It may represent a more demanding conception of value. The old social contract of higher education assumed that access itself was transformative. Establish a college, expand seats, provide teachers and curricula, and the institution would naturally attract students because the degree possessed an intrinsic social currency. That assumption is becoming less secure. We have expanded the physical architecture of higher education. We now have to ask whether we have expanded its intellectual and social imagination with equal seriousness. For a college can be physically accessible and yet intellectually distant. It can have classrooms without creating a compelling classroom experience. It can have a syllabus without generating curiosity. It can have teachers without necessarily producing a vibrant intellectual community. It can award degrees without convincing students that the experience of obtaining the degree has enlarged their capacity to think, argue and inhabit the world. This is where the problem of enrolment intersects with a problem that receives far less attention: the pedagogy of the classroom. The contemporary student enters a radically different knowledge environment from the one in which the conventional college was designed. Knowledge is no longer scarce. A student with a smartphone can access lectures, books, journals, interviews, debates and competing interpretations from across the world. Artificial intelligence has further unsettled the traditional boundaries between teacher, textbook and learner. Yet the architecture of many classrooms remains remarkably unchanged. The teacher speaks. The student listens. The teacher possesses knowledge. The student receives it. The teacher asks questions. The student answers. The teacher evaluates. The student is evaluated. This model is not entirely without merit. Teaching necessarily involves expertise, discipline and intellectual guidance. The problem arises when this arrangement becomes more than a pedagogical convenience and hardens into an epistemic hierarchy- when the teacher comes to imagine himself as the sole legitimate source of knowledge and the students primary obligation as reception. That conception of the classroom is increasingly difficult to sustain. The teacher is no longer the only person who can provide knowledge . More importantly, knowledge itself is not the same thing as understanding. The teachers relevance therefore does not disappear when knowledge becomes abundant. It changes. The teacher must increasingly become the person who helps students distinguish knowledge from noise, argument from assertion, evidence from anecdote, conviction from prejudice and information from understanding. That requires authority, but a different kind of authority. There is an important distinction between authority and authoritarianism. A teacher can possess intellectual authority without demanding intellectual submission. Indeed, the most compelling authority in a classroom may be precisely that which allows itself to be questioned. The problem is not that teachers have authority. The problem is when authority becomes indistinguishable from distance. A student should be able to ask a difficult question without being made to feel that questioning the teacher amounts to disrespect. A student should be able to disagree without being treated as undisciplined. A student should be able to say, I do not agree with this argument, and discover that disagreement is not a breach of classroom etiquette but the beginning of intellectual engagement. This is where the idea of democratising the learning process becomes important. Democratising education does not mean reducing standards. It does not mean pretending that the teacher and student possess identical knowledge. It does not mean replacing expertise with relativism. It means recognising that learning is not adequately described as the transmission of knowledge from one sovereign mind to another passive mind. The classroom should become a space of dialogue, interrogation and shared intellectual labour. The teacher remains a teacher, but ceases to imagine himself as the sole proprietor of knowledge. The student remains a learner, but ceases to be treated as merely an empty vessel waiting to be filled. The relationship becomes less vertical and more dialogical. This distinction is particularly important in the humanities and social sciences. How can we teach democracy through an undemocratic pedagogy? How can we teach freedom of thought while discouraging students from questioning? How can we cultivate critical citizens if the classroom itself treats dissent as disorder? There is a certain irony in this. We ask colleges and universities to produce critical thinkers, but often reward conformity. We speak of democratic citizenship, but reproduce hierarchical relations of knowledge. We encourage students to question society, institutions and political authority, while sometimes leaving them little room to question the authority immediately before them. The contradiction should trouble us. But it would be unfair to turn this into an indictment of teachers. The problem is larger than individual personalities. Teachers themselves inherit curricula, examination structures, bureaucratic routines and institutional cultures that have accumulated over decades. A teacher may want to experiment with pedagogy while being constrained by a system that privileges syllabus completion, attendance and examination performance. There is therefore a structural question beneath the pedagogical one. Can we create democratic classrooms without democratising the institutional culture that surrounds them? This question becomes even more complicated in a system that depends significantly on academic-arrangement and contractual teaching. The precariousness of academic employment is not merely a labour question; it can also become an institutional question. Continuity, mentorship, experimentation and long-term pedagogical investment are difficult to sustain when the conditions of academic work remain uncertain. Yet the answer cannot simply be to lament contractualisation or to idealise permanent employment. Nor should the problem be reduced to individual teachers. What is required is a deeper reconsideration of what we expect the college to accomplish. The college cannot remain merely a degree-distribution mechanism. If it does, students will quite rationally compare it with every other mechanism through which a credential can be acquired. The college has to offer something more difficult to quantify: an intellectual community. A student should encounter in college not merely a syllabus but an experience of thinking. The value of a classroom should lie partly in the fact that it brings together people who do not necessarily think alike and obliges them to remain in conversation. The student should discover that disagreement need not produce hostility, that uncertainty is not intellectual failure, and that changing ones mind in the presence of better reasoning is not weakness. This is where higher education acquires a democratic significance beyond employability. A college is one of the few institutional spaces in which young people can learn how to live with complexity. It can teach them to distinguish between persuasion and coercion, between evidence and belief, between disagreement and antagonism. These are not ornamental virtues. They are the foundations of a democratic intellectual culture. The crisis of enrolment, therefore, should not be addressed merely through publicity campaigns, new courses or the mechanical expansion of infrastructure. Nor should policymakers assume that filling vacant seats is the same thing as revitalising higher education. The harder task is to make the institution meaningful again. That requires confronting several questions simultaneously. Why does a student choose a particular degree? What employment or social mobility does it plausibly offer? Why should a student remain in a conventional college when specialised alternatives appear more attractive? Does the curriculum speak to the world the student actually inhabits? Does the classroom permit intellectual participation? Does the teacher-student relationship cultivate curiosity or merely compliance? Does the institution treat students as young adults capable of judgment, or principally as recipients of administrative instructions? These questions cannot be answered through enrollment statistics alone. The statistics tell us that something is changing. The classroom helps us understand what that change might mean. And this is why I resist the easy conclusion that declining enrolment represents a crisis of student aspiration. Perhaps it represents, at least partly, a crisis of institutional responsiveness. Students may be telling us, without necessarily articulating it in these terms, that they want an education that is connected to their aspirations, responsive to their anxieties and intellectually alive. They want institutions that do not merely certify their passage into adulthood but help them make sense of the world into which they are entering. The irony is that the college has never had a greater opportunity to perform precisely this function. In an age saturated with information, what students need from a teacher is not another repository of information. They need interpretation. They need intellectual companionship. They need someone capable of asking the question that the internet cannot ask for them: What does all this knowledge mean? That is the enduring value of the teacher. And that is why the democratisation of the classroom is not a concession to students. It is a way of preserving the intellectual dignity of teaching itself. The teachers authority should arise not from the distance maintained between the podium and the bench, but from the quality of the conversation that takes place between them. The classroom, in this sense, becomes a small republic of learning. Its citizens are not equal because they possess identical knowledge. They are equal because each possesses the dignity to question, to reason and to be heard. The teacher has greater expertise, but expertise becomes a responsibility rather than a privilege. The student has less knowledge, but less knowledge does not mean less intellectual agency. This is perhaps the reform that is least visible in policy documents and most consequential in practice. We do not merely need to fill the classroom. We need to rethink the classroom. We do not merely need more students enrolled. We need students who find a reason to remain intellectually engaged. We do not merely need teachers who complete the syllabus. We need teachers who can make students want to ask what lies beyond it. And we do not merely need colleges as physical institutions. We need colleges that can once again become places where a young person encounters the possibility of becoming intellectually different from the person who entered through the gate. For Jammu and Kashmir, this is not a minor pedagogical question. Education has long been associated with mobility, dignity, aspiration and the possibility of a different future. If the conventional college ceases to embody that possibility, no amount of infrastructure can compensate for the loss. The empty bench, then, should not be read simply as evidence of student apathy. It may be a question addressed to the institution itself. What kind of education are we offering, and what kind of human being does that education enable a student to become? That is a more difficult question than enrollment. It is also the question we can no longer afford to postpone. Because the future of higher education in Jammu and Kashmir may not depend primarily on how many colleges we build, how many seats we sanction or even how many students we persuade to enrol. It may depend on whether we can recover the college as a living intellectual institution, one in which authority does not silence inquiry, where pedagogy does not reduce learning to transmission, where students are treated as participants rather than recipients, and where the classroom becomes democratic enough to teach the very values that a democratic society requires. The real challenge, therefore, is not simply to bring the student back to college. It is to give the student a reason to believe that something intellectually consequential happens when they walk through its doors. Dr Zahid Sultan, Independent Researcher Based in Srinagar, India.
17-year-old girl raped by three men posing as police officer near Delhi's Kalkaji Mandir
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men who posed as police personnel at a park near Kalkaji Mandir in Delhi, police said. According to the complaint, the girl had visited Kalkaji Mandir with her 17-year-old male friend at around 7 pm on Monday.
'MBS, FOLLOW OUR ORDERS': Houthis Deliver Blunt Ultimatum With A BIG Demand To Saudi | Watch
Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat has declared a new blockade for blockade policy against Saudi Arabia, warning that future retaliation could take more painful forms. The group says Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb shipping will remain safe except for Saudi-linked vessels, while demanding the reopening of Yemeni ports and airports and an end to restrictions on Houthi-held areas.
Is Omar Abdullah's resignation as Chief Minister nirvana for Jammu and Kashmir? If so, the opponents demanding his head on the block must state whether they have a viable democratic alternative. Alongside, there is a call for dissolution of the Assembly. That makes things clearer as to what the opposition is angling forPresidents rule and through that their own rule without any responsibility and accountability. It is as simple as that. However, a fundamental political question remains: why should Omar Abdullah oblige the opposition? Politically, logically, and constitutionally speaking, his party was voted into power for a five-year term.The electorate knew they were voting within the constraints of a Union Territory (UT). While they hoped he would be able to reclaim statehood, they were driven by an aggressive campaign set against the backdrop of the national leaderships solemn promise. Voters saw a clear connection between the Centres pledge and the local political narrative. They envisioned a landscape where the Centre was ready to meet them more than halfway, while the local campaign sought to bring respectability to Delhis idea of reconciliation through restoration. They were lulled into the belief that the timing was perfectwhich was, perhaps, the most beautiful part of the 2024 elections. That moment's fragrance is in retreat. It is equally true that the overwhelming mandate given to the National Conference (NC) came with heavy conditions. The public expected the NC to deliver on its manifesto promisesranging from fighting for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, to reclaiming statehood and fulfilling good governance pledges like free electricity, 12 free cooking gas cylinders, enhanced ration scales, and employment. Omar Abdullah's primary error was one of political judgment. Despite his sharp understanding of Kashmirs internal and external geopolitical dimensions, he misread the institutional script of the UT. He displayed a certain gullibility, believing that administrative processes would take a natural, fair course. That apart, as Chief Minister he was duty bound to attend to all the issues and worked harder to redress grievances of the people. Of course, there is an exaggeration that fixing taps and electric connections is not being done on the pretext of no statehood, but there are real issues on the ground, which should have been attended to. Omar himself and his party need to increase public outreach, assess the problems and diagnose those with the prescriptions within the given set of powers. There are also those who want him to perform before asking him to step down, and these leaders like AltafBukhari on record to have said that they would not support any undemocratic machination to engineer fall of the elected government. This should be read carefully by all the concerned parties whether in the Valley or Jammu. Politics, however, rarely works that way. It is a ruthless game of chess, and a leader known for straight-talk is often at a disadvantage. The political trap laid for him was fundamental, yet he walked right into it, unsuspecting of the underlying machinations. At the same time there was something more that made NC and other regional parties in Kashmir to contest. There were many wishing and plotting that National Conference, and other regional parties should not contest polls so that they could have smooth run. That forced him violate his own public pledge never to contest an Assembly poll as long as J&K remained a Union Territory. It was a dilemma for him, and now the way he decided, this political price was bound to come his way. On the other hand, those declaring that statehood will remain withheld as long as Omar Abdullah is in power display flagrant contempt for their own national leadership, which explicitly held out this promise to the people of J&K. These actors would benefit from a brief lesson in history. In 1983, Congress wanted an alliance with National Conference, then CM Farooq rejected the idea. Congress planned its own politics; stabilization project through destabilization of the elected government. That time also the plea was that the Farooq Abdullah government was not delivering, but the real idea was to get into the government. There always is a cause and consequence. Congress machinations were responsible for eroding faith of the people in democracy. Today, the same play book is being read aloud. If this is played out in full the way it was done in 1984, it is hard to escape the conclusion as to what might happen next. The rigging of the 1987 elections would not have taken place had democracy not tampered with in 1984. These attempts are also undermining the whole work that has been done by the Centre in J&K in the past few years. Kashmir has given several crowning moments to PMModis government. He enriched Kashmir with infrastructural development, and Kashmir in turn gave his government a great thumbs up in laying out new agendas and perspectives. Kashmir became an active partner in nation-building. Despite all the constraints, political and physical and administrative squeeze to which the Omar Abdullah government has been pushed to, the Chief Minister could have performed much better and delivered on many a promise made in the manifesto. First, he did not utilize his potential to the fullest, he kept on waiting for the return of statehood, hoping to deliver as per his full capacity in the hoped-for system. He cannot escape this part of shortcomings on the governance front. In fact, he himself has admitted that he has lost a lot of his political fortune. His predicament is that there is no clear way out. Lack of statehood is not the only one stonewall, there are many which have been thrown his way in the current system by an overambitious lot. He could have attended to public issues at much larger scale than his government has done. The people had missed an elected government for years together. While there is continuous, often performative rhetoric about embracing Kashmir and delivering its due, Jammu is consistently ignored. Kashmir-centric parties like the PDP and the NC view Jammu purely through an electoral prism; they see little reason to invest political capital in a region that yields them minimal electoral returns. The BJP, that was trusted and voted in large numbers, has not done what the people expected of it. The days of relentless politically-motivated language against Kashmirs regional parties, particularly National Conference and the PDP, yielding political dividends are over. Jammu invested its faith in the BJP by electing 29 of its candidates to the Assembly and wants something concrete in return. The opposition possesses every right to ask tough questions and hold the treasury benches accountable. Legislators and external critics alike enjoy the liberty to twist narratives to foster disillusionment with the establishmentthat is an accepted reality of politics. Omar Abdullah must now rise above his five-year survival thesis. The electorate is deeply impatient. He must present a realistic, transparent picture to the public and emerge as a leader capable of turning the tide in adverse situations.
The Indian Army Banihal Cricket League witnessed an exciting exhibition match between the Indian Army and local players of Banihal, highlighting sportsmanship, camaraderie and strong community bonding. Commander 11 Sector RR Brigadier Ajay Pal Singh and the Commanding Officer of 12 Rashtriya Rifles Col. Vijay Punea participated in the match as members of the Army team, adding enthusiasm to the sporting event. The match provided an opportunity for local cricketing talent to interact and play alongside senior Army officers, fostering a spirit of mutual respect and camaraderie. The participation of senior Army officers and their interaction with players and local residents reflected the Army's efforts to engage with the youth through sports and strengthen its connect with the Awaam. Meanwhile, the tournament has entered its next stage, with the top eight teams qualifying for the quarter-finals. The upcoming matches are expected to witness further competitive cricket and enthusiastic participation from local players and spectators.
NCP Spokesperson Criticizes BJP Over Jamui Incident
NCP spokesperson Seema Malik condemns the Jamui incident, demanding strict action and criticizing BJPs stance on womens safety. NCP Spokesperson Criticizes BJP Over Jamui Incident
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly adjusting to married life as the Chiefs star returns to football. A demanding NFL schedule may be keeping the newlyweds apart more than expected.
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Reportedly Adjust To Separate Schedules
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly adjusting to married life as the Chiefs star returns to football. A demanding NFL schedule may be keeping the newlyweds apart more than expected.
Rajouri floods: CM says Rs 3.22 cr relief disbursed
Srinagar, Sep 21: The Jammu & Kashmir government told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that it has assessed the damage from July's flash floods and landslides in Rajouri and disbursed Rs 3.22 crore in relief. Permanent restoration of infrastructure is still at the proposal and tender stage. Replying to a starred question by Rajouri MLA Iftikhar Ahmed, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds the Disaster Management portfolio, said the district administration received 149 family-wise relief cases. Rs 40.61 lakh was disbursed under SDRF norms. A further Rs 2.81 crore, released to the district from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, was distributed among affected families. On roads, a preliminary assessment led to a proposal for permanent restoration of 403 roads and bridges at Rs 185 crore. On power, damage of Rs 27.99 crore was assessed across Rajouri district, of which Rs 9.39 crore was in Rajouri constituency. Supply on the 132 KV Rajouri-Draba line was restored temporarily with an ERS tower, and tendering for permanent restoration is under way. The reply said no SDRF/NRDF funds have been released for that line's damage. Of the Rs 1.25 crore received under SDRF for temporary power restoration in the district, Rajouri constituency got Rs 57.60 lakh, Thannamandi Rs 43.40 lakh, Budhal Rs 10.05 lakh, Nowshera Rs 7.60 lakh and Sunderbani Rs 6.35 lakh. The Agriculture Department assessed 15% damage on 416 hectares of maize and 65% on 101.50 hectares of paddy. Jal Shakti details put temporary restoration of water supply schemes at Rs 86.83 lakh. Irrigation and flood-control damage from July 1825 needs Rs 3.67 crore for temporary and Rs 123.55 crore for permanent restoration. The government said all damaged roads, bridges, water and power schemes were temporarily restored within a month, and detailed project reports for permanent work are under consideration. Flood-prone power infrastructure will be strengthened and realigned, with spares kept ready. On enhancing SDRF compensation, it said the norms fall under the Union Home Ministry.
J&K Assembly Autumn Session : Day One: Slogans Fly, House Adjourned
Srinagar, Sep 21: The opening sitting of the autumn session turned chaotic on Monday as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs stormed into the Well of the House, raising slogans over regularisation of daily-wagers, the grievances of National Health Mission (NHM) employees and the recent electricity tariff hike. Amid pandemonium, Speaker Abdur Rahim Rather adjourned the House for a day. The uproar began shortly after obituary references were concluded, with BJP legislators rising from their seats and seeking government intervention on issues concerning employees and the public. Carrying placards, they raised slogans demanding justice for daily-wagers and NHM employees and protesting against power supply and tariff-related issues. Jo Sarkar na de sake bijli pani, woh sarkar nakami and Insaf karo, daily-wagers ke saath were among the slogans raised by the BJP members as Question Hour got drowned in the din. The BJP legislators also raised the issue of NHM employees, shouting slogans seeking justice for workers engaged under the health mission. Their protest soon intensified, with BJP MLAs storming into the Well of the House and continuing their sloganeering. Several BJP members also raised Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Vande Mataram slogans while holding placards. Speaker repeatedly asked the protesting members to return to their seats and allow the proceedings to continue. Go to your seats, the Speaker told the protesting legislators, warning that continued disruption could invite action. However, the BJP members remained in the Well, leading to further exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches. Congress MLAs Irfan Hafiz Lone and Iftikhar Ahmad also countered the BJP members amid the uproar, though their remarks could not be clearly heard due to the continuing sloganeering. When CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami rose to intervene, the confrontation intensified further, with BJP legislators continuing their protest in the Well. The ruling National Conference (NC) members then joined the slogan war, raising the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmirs statehood. The competing slogans turned the opening sitting into a noisy confrontation between the Opposition and treasury benches, with neither side willing to yield. NC MLA Nazir Gurezi accused the BJP of wasting the valuable time of the legislature. They should protest in Delhi rather than here, Gurezi said, accusing the BJP of using the Assembly to divert attention from what he described as its failures. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary also hit out at the BJP, saying the government was prepared to respond to the issues being raised by the Opposition. If they are sincere to the people of J&K, they should listen to the governments answers. The government is ready to respond, Choudhary said. He questioned the need for disrupting Question Hour when ministers were present in the House to respond to questions concerning public issues. The BJP maintained that the protests were aimed at drawing the governments attention to issues affecting thousands of workers and ordinary consumers. Regularisation of daily-wagers emerged as one of the principal issues raised by the BJP, along with the concerns of NHM employees and the electricity tariff hike. The Opposition members also accused the government of failing to address issues confronting different sections of society, while the treasury benches maintained that the issues could be debated through the established legislative process. The Speaker repeatedly appealed for calm and urged members to return to their seats so that the House could conduct its scheduled business. The continued disruption, however, overshadowed Question Hour and much of the planned legislative proceedings. Amid the din, the government continued with some scheduled business, with Minister for Rural Development Javid Ahmad Dar introducing a bill seeking amendments to cooperative law. But the proceedings remained hostage to the sloganeering, with legislators from both sides repeatedly moving towards the Well. After failing to restore order, Speaker Rather eventually adjourned the House for the day. The dramatic opening has set the tone for the autumn session, with regularisation of daily-wagers, NHM employees issues, electricity tariff, employment, governance and restoration of statehood expected to remain among the major issues confronting the House. For the government, the challenge will be to ensure legislative business proceeds amid a determined Opposition campaign; for the BJP, the opening-day protest has placed employment and power-related grievances at the centre of its Assembly strategy.
When the House Becomes the Battleground
The first day of the autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly offered a troubling reminder of how quickly democratic institutions can be reduced to theatre. A House convened to debate public concerns, question the government and legislate for the people instead became a stage for competing slogans, angry exchanges and political one-upmanship. The disruption during Question Hour was not a minor procedural lapse. Question Hour is among the most important instruments available to legislators and the public. It is the time when ministers are required to answer, records are placed on the table and the government is held accountable. Every minute lost to shouting, sloganeering and confrontation is a minute denied to the people whose concerns brought the members to the Assembly in the first place. The Speakers appeal to BJP legislators to return to their seats and allow proceedings to continue was both necessary and expected. His warning that action could be taken if the disruption continued underscored the seriousness of the situation. Yet the appeals failed to calm the House. Instead, the treasury and opposition benches traded accusations, with Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi alleging that the BJP members were deliberately wasting the Assemblys time. The exchange became sharper when CPI(M) MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami urged the BJP members to raise a slogan demanding restoration of statehood. That intervention may have captured a deep political grievance, but it also added fuel to an already volatile situation. The question is not which slogan carried greater political weight. The question is why slogans were allowed to displace the business of the House. Jammu and Kashmir cannot afford a legislature consumed by spectacle. The region faces unresolved political questions, a fragile economy, unemployment, developmental deficits and a long list of issues affecting ordinary citizens. The Assemblys limited autumn session was meant to provide space for debate on these matters. Instead, its opening day was overshadowed by a contest in political theatre. The responsibility lies with every member, not with one party alone. Opposition parties have a duty to challenge the government, but dissent loses its democratic value when it becomes disruption. The ruling side, likewise, cannot use provocation or majoritarian slogans as a substitute for substantive debate. A legislature is not a street rally, and the Assembly chamber cannot be treated as an arena for settling electoral scores. Honourable Speaker had appealed to members to use the short session judiciously. That appeal must now be honoured. Tuesdays sitting should begin with a collective commitment to restore decorum and protect Question Hour from further disruption. The people of J&K deserve answers, not noise; accountability, not theatrics; and a legislature that works, not one that merely performs.
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.
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
Pak Airline's Big Glow-Up Gets Savagely Trolled By Own Passengers; 'Fix Planes, Not Uniforms'
Pakistan International Airlines hosted a glossy gala featuring nine of the country's top fashion designers to unveil new forest-green cabin crew uniforms, expecting applause. Instead, it got mercilessly trolled by its own citizens. Pakistanis flooded PIA's comments demanding aircraft maintenance, clean cabins, working entertainment systems and on-time flights instead of a runway show, especially since the airline was simultaneously cutting discounts and flight frequencies over rising fuel costs. Behind the memes lies a genuinely ugly reality: PIA carries nearly $3 billion in liabilities, lost $270 million in a recent year, remains banned from the US, and only had its EU ban lifted in 2024 after a 2020 Karachi crash exposed that a third of its pilots held fake licenses. We break down the full timeline of PIA's uniform launch, the brutal reactions, and the airline's long fall from its glamorous Pierre Cardin-designed past to today's punchline status.
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.
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.
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.
Asian Games Day 2: China Leads Medal Count, India Ranks 12th
After the second day of competitions at the Aich-Nagoya Asian Games, China has taken a commanding lead in the medal tally with 38 medals, including 23 golds. Japan and Republic of Korea follow in second and third place respectively. India is currently ranked 12th with a total of 6 medals, comprising 4 silver and 2 bronze.
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
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.
Radhashtami and Ashram Vijay Niti Celebrated at Shrimandir
Radhashtami and the Ashram Vijay Niti of Shri Sudarshan Dev were held at Shrimandir in Puri.
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.
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.
