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Digital Desk | Puducherry, Sep 19 (IANS) The coastal city of Puducherry is gearing up for a star-studded series when India A take on Australia A in two unofficial four-day red-ball matches, followed by three one-dayers to be played at the picturesque CAP-Siechem Stadium. Since becoming a full member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2019, the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) has hosted under-19 international matches. But this will be its first time staging an entire

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang has rejected predictions that artificial intelligence (AI) could cause the end of the world by 2030, saying there was zero per cent chance for such a crisis. Huang told CBS News that an AI-triggered catastrophe is senseless and raised doubts if some of the warnings were driven by political, commercial or attention-seeking considerations. He urged companies to quicken AI development while retaining responsibility for prod

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Hollywood star Sandra Bullock penned a heartfelt note for her sister Gesine, calling her my very own North Star and dedicating her latest film Practical Magic 2 to their bond of sisterhood. Sandra took to Instagram, where she shared a string of images and video featuring her and Gesine. She said she is lucky to call her my sister. A love letter to my very own North Star. This film is about sisterhood, and the filmmakers and I wanted to dedicate it to each of

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Actress Munmun Dutta, best known for playing Babita Iyer in the long-running sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, gave fans a glimpse of the show's sets when there is no shooting. The actress, taking her fans through the familiar Gokuldham surroundings and reflecting on her long association with the show, seemed to have become emotional. Munmun shared a glimpse of the set when it was completely empty, showing the elaborate interiors. In the video, she joki

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha attended the official welcome reception for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where she met Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and other members of the Asian sporting fraternity. Sharing pictures from the gathering on X, Usha described the evening as an opportunity to connect with the OCA leadership and members of the wider sporting community. A wonderful evening connect

Digital Desk | Chennai, Sep 19 (IANS) Well known Malayalam film writer Kiran Josey, who is best known for having co-written the stories of the blockbuster films 'Premalu' and 'Bethlehem Kudumba Unit', is to now turn director with a film called 'Picnic'. Following the success of 'Premalu' and 'Bethlehem Kudumba Unit', well known production house Bhavana Studios has announced that its next feature film, 'Picnic', is to be directed by Kiran Josey. The upcoming family comedy drama, produced by Fahad

Digital Desk | Washington, Sep 19 (IANS) The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States agreed to work together for good results from bilateral talks on the Asian country's proposed investment projects in the US during their meeting in Washington, DC, the foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met at the State Department as the two countries have been in talks over the investment projects as part of efforts to implement last year's bilatera

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) The Indian equity benchmarks posted notable losses for the sixth consecutive week as foreign institutional investor (FII) selling continued and concerns about a prolonged highrate environment kept investors cautious. Nifty declined 0.22 per cent during the week and added 0.33 per cent on the last trading day to reach 23,346. At close, Sensex was down 19 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 74,294. It lost 0.65 per cent during the week. After a weak start, Indian equi

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Hollywood actress-producer Mindy Kaling has heaped praise on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as she makes her mark in the new film Best of the Best, calling the young actress a sparkly person and saying she is proud and in awe of her. Kaling took to Instagram, where she shared a picture of her hugging Maitreyi along with a poster of the film. She wrote: Hard not to get emotional, this sparkly person @maitreyiramakrishnan is starring in Best of the Best coming out today

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Music composer and singer Salim Merchant faced criticism from a section of social media users after he shared pictures from his visit to the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam. The composer shared pictures with a friend, with both seen standing in front of the temple with folded hands after seeking blessings. In the pictures, Salim opted for a white T-shirt and dark trousers, with a red religious stole draped around his shoulders and a garland around his neck

Digital Desk | Kathmandu, Sep 19 (IANS) The South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulation (SAFIR) is set to undertake a comprehensive study on cross-border electricity transmission, focusing on strengthening transmission connectivity, integrating renewable energy and moving toward a more competitive regional power market. SAFIR, a regional forum of infrastructure regulators and related institutions in South Asia, works on capacity building, training and research related to infrastructure regula

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) The FCNR (B) deposit scheme mobilised $127 billion within a short span of less than 3 months, which could generate a notional profit of around Rs 5 trillion (Rs 5 lakh crore) for banks over five years, and to RBI another Rs 0.5 trillion (Rs 50,000 crore), according to a report by SBI Research. This success has become a particular point of pain for an august school of naysayers. Even though the regulator took a wise decision to curtail the scheme preponing

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shared a message on perseverance, comparing lifes challenges to an automatic lift door that can be made to open again with even the smallest intervention. Taking to his blog, the icon said: Kuch bina bole hota hai, kuch bolke hota hai, aur kuch thok-thaak ke hota hai. Lekin hota zaroor hai. (Some things happen without saying a word, some happen by speaking up, and some happen by knocking and pushing. But they do happen.) He then

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) A second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay died by suicide after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination, triggering protests by students on the institute's Powai campus. The incident took place on Friday evening and marks the third reported suicide at the IIT Powai campus in the past six months. The deceased student was identified as Sahil Wakode, who was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Scien

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Hollywood-based Indian actress Freida Pinto has made her prediction about actor Indraneil Senguptas performance in Unaccustomed Earth, saying her TV husband is going to leave all stunned. Indraneil took to Instagram, where he dropped a string of looks from the upcoming series adaptation, which is an epic, soapy, and culturally vibrant drama about a tight-knit Indian American community navigating love, desire, and belonging. Indraneil captioned it: Love. Loss.

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) The counting of votes for the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) election began amid tight security on Saturday. The results will be announced later in the day. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has fielded Yash Dabas for the post of President and Ishu Maurya for Vice-President, while the National Students Union of India (NSUI) has fielded Vijay Shankar Meena and Veer Chatrath for the two key posts, respectively. A voter turnout of 40.46 pe

Digital Desk | Chennai, Sep 19 (IANS) The final list of candidates contesting the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bye-elections will be published on Saturday, following the completion of scrutiny and the deadline for withdrawal of nominations. Polling in the two reserved constituencies is scheduled for October 6. With the principal political parties having already begun campaigning, election activity is expected to intensify once the final contestants and their symbols are formally announce

Digital Desk | United Nations, Sep 18 (IANS) Peacekeeping is a priority in its bid for election to the Security Council, and it is committed to ensuring the core UN mechanism has the needed resources and that its operations are protected, according to India's Permanent Representative P. Harish. Because we regard peacekeeping as irreplaceable to this Council's core purpose, India has made it a priority for our Security Council candidacy for 2028-2029, he said on Friday (local time). We reaffirm o

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Filmmaker Santosh Davakhar, whose Marathi film Gondhal has been selected as Indias official entry for the Oscars, said his primary focus while making the film was to present Indian culture and heritage at large to an international audience in a cinematic way. In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Davakhar opened up about his approach to the film and said he was initially unsure about how audiences would respond to it. To be honest, I didn't know if people w

Digital Desk | Nagoya, Sep 19 (IANS) Indias Asian Games contingent will have a new flag-bearer at Saturdays opening ceremony, with kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat stepping in for shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who has been ruled out of the role due to technical issues. Sehrawat will lead the Indian contingent alongside double Olympic medallist and shooter Manu Bhaker at the ceremony, which will be held at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday evening. Due to technical issues, Ta

Digital Desk | Washington, Sep 19 (IANS) President Donald Trump has renewed a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B visa applications and ordered closer scrutiny of employers that lay off American workers, according to a White House fact sheet and an executive order. The measures combine the fee renewal with new checks on sponsoring employers employment practices. Agencies must consider recent and planned layoffs when assessing applications under the skilled-worker visa programme. The executive order di

Digital Desk | Nagoya, Sep 19 (IANS) Indias Quimcy Joaquim Dsouzas impressive Teqball campaign at the Asian Games 2026 came to a halt in the womens singles semifinal as she went down 1-2 to Indonesias Ima Sumaya at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center here on Saturday. Making her Asian Games debut, the 24-year-old Indian made a confident start and comfortably pocketed the opening set 12-7. Sumaya, however, responded strongly in the second set, overcoming an early deficit to edge ahead and event

Digital Desk | United Nations, Sep 19 (IANS) India, whose shipping and nationals have suffered collateral damage in the Strait of Hormuz conflict, has reiterated its call for respecting international law and said commercial maritime traffic must not become targets of geopolitical tensions. Navigational rights must not be subject to coercion, threats, unlawful restrictions or arbitrary interference, India's Permanent Representative P Harish told the Security Council on Thursday. India is a major

Digital Desk | Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) Sunita Ahuja shared a heartwarming moment with her nephew Krushna Abhisheks family as she arrived at his residence for Ganpati darshan on Friday. The visit saw Krushnas twin sons, Rayaan and Krishaang, warmly welcoming their grandmother and touching her feet as a mark of respect for their elder. As soon as Sunita entered the house, the twins went up to her and sought her blessings by touching her feet. Sunita, in turn, showered affection on her grandchildren,

Digital Desk | Washington, Sep 19 (IANS) The Trump administration says it has secured more than $1 billion in United Nations budget cuts, alongside reductions in headquarters staff and peacekeepers, as President Donald Trump prepares to address the General Assembly next week. A senior US official told reporters that 3,000 headquarters positions were being trimmed and more than 25 per cent of peacekeepers worldwide were being sent home. The administration presented the reductions as part of an ef

Digital Desk | Washington, Sepr 19 (IANS) President Donald Trump will put Irans nuclear ambitions at the centre of his United Nations diplomacy next week, with talks planned with Gulf leaders and US officials warning of further consequences for entities doing business with Tehran. Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday before meeting Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in New York. Officials said Iran would be a major subject of discussion, but did not confirm whether the president o

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly recruited youth in various government organisations at the 20th Rozgar Mela and address them via video conferencing on Saturday. The Prime Minister will also address the new appointees who are expected to simultaneously attend the Rozgar Mela at 45 locations across the country, according to a statement issued by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). The newly recruited c

Digital Desk | Cuttack, Sep 19 (IANS) The Odisha T20 League CM Trophy is all set to kick off on Sunday at the iconic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Six teams, Keonjhar Miners, Bhubaneswar Tigers, Kataka Panthers, Puri Titans, Rourkela Superstars and Sambalpur Warriors will battle it out for the ultimate glory. The Keonjhar Miners franchise sees its entry into the Odisha T20 League as an opportunity to build more than just a cricket team, with a focus on creating a strong regional identity and pro

Digital Desk | Dehradun, Sep 18 (IANS) The third edition of the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) 2026 is set to get underway with an exciting mens opening clash, as Haridwar Elmas lock horns with Nainital Tigers on September 22 at 7:30 PM at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Raipur, Dehradun. The League will bring together the leading mens and womens teams from across Uttarakhand, with the tournament scheduled to run until October 1. The womens competition will get the UPL 2026 act

Digital Desk | Agartala, Sep 18 (IANS) Three Bangladeshi women and an alleged Indian human trafficker were arrested near Agartala airport on Friday for allegedly entering Tripura illegally, police said. The arrests were made by a team of Agartala Airport police station based on specific information about the movement of some suspected Bangladeshi nationals near the airport. In-charge of Airport police station, Sub-Inspector Shyamal Debnath, said the three women, all residents of Bangladesh's Khu

Digital Desk | Los Angeles, Sep 18 (IANS) Actress Lily Collins has bid an emotional farewell to his iconic character of Emily Cooper from the streaming show Emily in Paris. On Friday, the actress took to her Instagram, and shared an array of BTS pictures from the sets of the show. She also penned a long note in the caption, as she spoke about the curtains falling on the show. She wrote, My last day on set as Emily Im speechless. Its impossible to find the words for what this journey has meant to

Digital Desk | Los Angeles, Sep 18 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus seems to be getting cold feet ahead of her marriage to Maxx Morando. The singer has shared that she is worried she'll get the ick after marrying him. The 33-year-old singer got engaged to the Liily drummer in 2025 after 6 years of dating. However, there's one concern she has about their relationship once they do tie the knot. She told Zane Lowe on Apple Music, We've been together six years, and I've never gotten the ick. All

Digital Desk | Moscow, Sep 18 (IANS) Britains charge d'affaires in Russia, Danae Dholakia, was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday over the increase in the supply of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other weapons systems to Ukraine. It was stated that the United Kingdoms policy of confrontation on the Ukrainian track is obviously aimed at drawing out and escalating the armed conflict and is delaying the possibility of a political settlement. It was pointed out that substantial

Digital Desk | Hyderabad, Sep 18 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Partys Telangana unit on Friday welcomed the High Court verdict disqualifying MLA Danam Nagender, who defected from the BRS party to the Congress, and demanded that all defected MLAs resign and seek a fresh mandate. State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao said the High Court order delivered in favour of the petition filed by BJP Floor Leader in Assembly, Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and setting aside the Speaker's earlier decision marks a sign

Digital Desk | Agartala, Sep 18 (IANS) The Assam Rifles on Friday organised a display of weapons and equipment in Agartala to showcase its capabilities, operational preparedness and role in safeguarding the nation and maintaining security in the Northeast. A defence spokesman said that the Assam Rifles organised a weapons and equipment display at Saheed Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel in Agartala on Friday for NCC (National Cadet Corps) cadets as part of its continued efforts to enhance awareness abou

Digital Desk | Bengaluru, Sep 18 (IANS) Government-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas final operational clearance twin-seater trainers and three HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), along with four Dhruv next-generation helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited, on Friday. The platforms were displayed, and a pooja was performed in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of Civil Aviation

Digital Desk | Lucknow, Sep 18 (IANS) Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Friday held a review meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to assess progress on measures to improve air quality in Delhi-NCR. Yadav emphasised the need for accelerated implementation, stronger inter-agency coordination and strict enforcement to ensure substantial reduction in air pollution levels before the onset of winter. Emphasising the urgency of timely acti

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Amidst fast-paced developments on Friday, West Bengals electoral politics stand poised for a major shift, with Trinamool Congress founder and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee facing the prospect of going unrepresented in the high-profile Nandigram Assembly seat when the by-election is held on October 6. Sanchita Dey Pradhan, the candidate nominated from the Mamata-led Trinamool faction for Nandigram, withdrew her nomination after meeting Chief Ministe

Digital Desk | Hyderabad, Sep 18 (IANS) A city court on Friday rejected the remand of BRS leader Manne Krishank, hours after his dramatic arrest by police, who broke open the locked door of his residence. Nampally court refused to send Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) social media convenor Krishank to judicial custody after his arrest over a social media post. On a remand petition filed by the police, the court said it was rejecting the remand request in view of the guidelines laid down by the Supre

Digital Desk | Washington, Sep 18 (IANS) The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has called on the US President Donald Trump and his administration to raise the issue of Uyghur genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, as well as transnational repression of diaspora communities by Chinese authorities, during President Xi Jinpings visit to the US on September 24. According to the WUC, the United States formally recognised the deteriorating situation in Xinjiang as genocide for the first

Digital Desk | Seoul, Sep 18 (IANS) India suffered a difficult opening day in their Davis Cup in Qualifiers 2nd Round tie against Korea as Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal both surrendered leads in three-set battles to leave the visitors 0-2 down at the Olympic Tennis Court here on Friday. For the first time, Korea was one victory away from a Davis Cup quarter-finals spot after Soonwoo Kwon and Hyeon Chung staged dramatic comebacks against Indias top two singles players. The turnaround came

Digital Desk | Dhaka, Sep 18 (IANS) Several leaders of Bangladeshs radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami had repeatedly urged the partys top leadership to issue a formal and unconditional apology for opposing the countrys independence from Pakistan in 1971. Despite multiple drafts being prepared over the years, the efforts failed to materialise amid resistance from influential figures within the party, local media reported, citing the posthumous memoir of former Jamaat leader Abdur Razzaq, who

Digital Desk | Colombo, Sep 18 (IANS) The government of India has extended the Viability Gap Funding for the NagapattinamKankesanthurai passenger ferry for another year, marking the third consecutive year of support. Government of India has extended the Viability Gap Funding for the NagapattinamKankesanthurai passenger ferry for another year, marking the third consecutive year of support. Since its resumption in August 2024, the ferry has carried over 52,000 passengers, strengthening connectivit

Digital Desk | Panna, Sep 18 (IANS) Fortune has once again favoured hardworking farmers in Madhya Pradeshs diamond-rich Panna district. Badri Patel and five of his associates have discovered a 4.70-carat gem-quality diamond in a mine in the Pati area. The stone is estimated to be worth around Rs 15 lakh. The team had begun excavation work in the mine only 15 to 20 days earlier. After persistent digging, they spotted a glittering stone, later confirmed to be a gem-quality diamond. The discovery h

Digital Desk | Geneva, Sep 18 (IANS) An Indian civil society representative has raised concerns over the shrinking civic space and alleged human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) during the ongoing 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Speaking during the General Debate under Item 3 on civic space and democratic participation, the representative said an open, free and inclusive civic space was essential for meaningful democratic particip

Digital Desk | Srinagar, Sep 18 (IANS) Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Rohit Jain, on Friday reviewed banking operations in Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising the need for a stronger credit push and wider adoption of the Unified Lending Interface (ULI). An official statement said Jain convened a meeting with Zonal Heads of major banks operating in J&K. In his opening remarks, he highlighted banks' role in supporting economic activity and strengthening financial inclusion in the r

Digital Desk | Islamabad, Sep 18 (IANS) Leading human rights organisation Amnesty International condemned the re-arrest of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha just hours after Pakistans Supreme Court granted them bail, accusing authorities of misusing the justice system to target critical voices.The remarks came after a division bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday granted both lawyers bail and suspended their sentences in the social media posts case,

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Friday announced the results of All India Ayush Post Graduate Entrance (AIAPGET) 2026, with Vinod emerging as the topper in the Ayurveda discipline and Ayyamolia Akshaya coming first among Homoeopathy course aspirants, an official said. In a post on X, the NTA said, AIAPGET 2026 final answer keys officially released. Candidates can access the final answer keys and check their answers at the official examination portal.

Digital Desk | Jaipur, Sep 18 (IANS) The Rajasthan Congresss old fault lines have once again come to the fore, with a fresh war of words between former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and senior party leader Sachin Pilot following the partys performance in the recently concluded urban local body elections. The BJP emerged as the largest party in civic polls. However, the statewide vote-share contest between two principal parties was remarkably close. The BJP polled 35.18% of the vote against 34.24%

Digital Desk | New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) After the Gurugram hit-and-run case involving biker Shivani Chauhan, alias Sia, said on Friday that the matter became a 'national issue' because everyone could relate to the incident, and that her fight is not just for her own benefit. The woman biker who was hit by a car while driving said, ...Everyone has supported this cause because everyone has related to this issue. Somewhere or another, some female biker, some girl in some way, or any ordinary person