National News

The NBA preseason began with a game in Abu Dhabi between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets. Sporting icons like Rohit Sharma, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho attended. Boston won 107-103. Players like Payton Pritchard and Nikola Jokic shone. The event highlighted the NBA's growing global presence and cross-sport engagement.

Football boasts records like Lionel Messi's 91 goals in 2012, Pele's 1,279 career goals, and Just Fontaine's 13 goals in a single World Cup in 1958. Real Madrid's five consecutive European Cups (1956-1960) and Brazil's five World Cup victories highlight feats that appear almost impossible to beat in today's competitive landscape.

BJP has sharply criticized Congress, alleging a woman was molested on stage during a Congress campaign event, with Congress MP Deepender Hooda present. Shehzad Poonawalla accused Congress of being anti-women, while Congress leader Kumari Selja demanded strict action against the accused party workers.

PDP leader Iltija Mufti criticized the upcoming government in Jammu and Kashmir as lacking real power, calling its chief minister a "rubber stamp." The remarks came just before assembly election results, amid claims that recent administrative changes undermine the new government's authority. Union home minister Amit Shah dismissed the allegations as false and speculative.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Maharashtra, offering prayers, playing traditional instruments, and inaugurating the Banjara Virasat Museum. He also launched the Mumbai Metro Line 3 and its related MetroConnect3 app, while disbursing Rs 20,000 crore under PM-KISAN for farmers, impacting around 9.4 crore beneficiaries.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar stated that during his visit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, bilateral talks with Pakistan are ruled out, emphasizing that good relations hinge on addressing cross-border terrorism. He highlighted the differing views of Sardar Patel and Nehru on India-China ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of divisive politics and links to a major drug racket during his visit to Maharashtra's Washim district. He also launched significant agricultural and animal husbandry projects worth Rs 23,300 crore, benefiting farmers and supporting marginalized communities.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal and his wife Grecia Munoz took to the streets of Gurugram as delivery agents, fulfilling food orders themselves. The couple shared the experience on Instagram.

IndiGo, India's largest airline by domestic market share, faced a system-wide outage on Saturday, causing lengthy wait times and long queues at airports. Passengers had to use handwritten boarding passes, especially noted at Bengaluru airport. The airline is working to resolve the issue swiftly and apologized for the inconvenience.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has defended Babar Azam following his resignation as white-ball captain, criticizing ex-pacer Sikander Bakht's harsh comments. Butt emphasized Babar's consistent contributions to Pakistan cricket over the last five years and argued that criticism should respect the player's stature, regardless of personal opinions.

The body of a 10-year-old girl was found in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, triggering violent protests by locals, alleging her rape and murder. The police outpost was set ablaze, with demands for action against the delayed police response. An accused was arrested shortly after the complaint was lodged, and investigations are ongoing.

A 43-year-old man, Vetri Vendhan, was arrested by Tiruvallur town police for poisoning and killing 16 stray dogs that attacked his pigeons and hens. He was tracked through CCTV footage and confessed to the crimes, leading to his judicial custody under animal cruelty laws.

Elon Musk’s platform X, banned by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over disinformation charges, mistakenly transferred $5.2 million in fines to the wrong account. Justice Moraes instructed the redirection of these funds. X, with 22 million Brazilian users, began blocking certain accounts and requested to lift the ban, which Moraes conditioned on paying pending fines.

Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his concern over the current instability in Pakistan cricket, highlighting leadership chaos and poor performances. He noted that the constant captaincy changes are affecting the team's morale and cohesion. Ashwin emphasized Pakistan's lack of recent home Test match victories and believed that players are focusing more on individual performances due to the turmoil.

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu stated that devotees are satisfied with the improved quality of laddu prasadam at the Lord Venkateswara temple. He inaugurated the Vakulaamatha centralised kitchen and emphasized the use of high-quality ingredients. Naidu vowed to maintain the temple's sanctity and suggested reducing VIP culture at Tirumala.

India and Pakistan women’s cricket teams have met 15 times in T20 internationals. India has won 12 times, Pakistan three. The teams will face off again at the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup. India must win all remaining matches after losing to New Zealand, while Pakistan are confident after beating Sri Lanka.

Rahul Gandhi criticized BJP over the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Kolhapur, attributing it to their flawed ideology. He emphasized that the Congress party fights for the same principles Shivaji Maharaj upheld, aligning them with the Indian Constitution. He linked BJP's actions, including the exclusion of the tribal President, to ideological conflicts shaping upcoming Maharashtra elections.

Posters calling for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to be awarded the Bharat Ratna appeared near the JD(U) office and other locations in Patna amid the state executive meeting. JD(U) insiders support the demand, while opposition RJD claims BJP pressure on Kumar. Kumar also recently announced flood relief measures.

CM Chandrababu Naidu said the chanting of ‘Govindanamams’ should alone resonate in the temple town, atop the hill, and the spiritual atmosphere be preserved without any compromise

The number of Naxalites killed in the gun battle with the security personnel reaches 31, the police said, adding that a search operation is still underway in the area