New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen said KL Rahul, who hit a majestic 112 not out off 65 balls in the IPL 2025 clash against Gujarat Titans, wanted to bat at the top of the order and added that watching the wicketkeeper-batter is an absolute treat when in full flow.At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rahul reached the three-figure mark off 60 balls with a powerful pull off Prasidh Krishna in the 19th over. With his fifth IPL century and first for DC, laced with 14 fours and four sixes, Rahul became the first batter in IPL history to score hundreds for three different teams – previously doing the same for Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants“It’s tough sitting and watching the boys, especially in the pressure situation we got into ourselves, we started well, got into a wobble, but the break must’ve done good for us. KL wanted to bat at the top of the order and he’s so good to watch when in full flow. When you can see players of that quality, watch them practice and then watch them put on a show during the match is do good to see,” said Pietersen in a mid-innings chat with broadcasters.Rahul, DC’s leading run-getter in IPL 2025 with 495 runs, now has the fourth most number of hundreds in the tournament, after Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler and Chris Gayle. During his majestic knock on Sunday, Rahul also became the fastest Indian and third overall to amass 8,000 runs in T20 cricket. With Rahul propelling DC to 199/3, Pietersen feels they need to defend the total against an in-form GT batting line-up.“It’s just half the job done though, the top-3 have done a superb job (for Gujarat Titans), but we’ve Mustafizur who joined us this morning, and Nattu (T Natarajan) as well back from injury. We spoke about getting a solid start, we were poor in that over the last few overs and we then solidified during the middle overs before exploding towards the end, 200 I think is a good target,” he added.–IANSnr/

Nagpur, May 18 (IANS) Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday inaugurated the National Soil Spectral Library here, making Maharashtra the first state to have a soil map. The library includes data on soil pH Value, density and elemental composition collected using hyperspectral sensor technology by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning here.Shivraj Chouhan also launched an AI-based Smart Trap technology for managing the pink bollworm pest affecting cotton crops. This technology will alert farmers about pest infestations in their crops.Making another big announcement, the minister said the Centre would set up a national level lab in Pune under the Clean Plant Program. This laboratory will be set up in Pune for research on the original species of plants.Emphasising on increasing agricultural production, Shivraj Chouhan said that the Clean Plant Program is being run to ensure pure and disease-free nurseries. To increase production, farmers should understand the need for good quality seeds, soil testing and reduction in production costs.Addressing the farmers convention- Krishi Samvaad organized under ‘Vikasit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, the Chouhan also gave the call for “One Nation, One Agriculture and One Team” to make the country’s farmers self-reliant and increase their incomes.He said the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry, State Agriculture Ministry, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Krishi Vigyan Kendra and all agricultural institutes should work together as a team. If all the institutions are connected, targets are set, roadmaps are made, then miracles can be made in agriculture, he added.During the event, Shivraj Chouhan said that ICAR has 113 institutes across the country, 11 of which are in Maharashtra. He announced that a meeting with heads of all ICAR institutes would be held at the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning in Nagpur to chart the course for agricultural development in Maharashtra.The Union Minister said the government is committed to bridging the gap between laboratories and farmlands. With 16,000 agricultural scientists under ICAR, scientists will visit villages as a team along with agricultural extension officers to educate farmers about new seed varieties and innovative farming practices.Shivraj Chouhan further stated that during the 15-day campaign from May 29 to June 12, agricultural scientists will visit villages to guide farmers on sustainable farming practices and plan for the Kharif season.Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis provided details about the Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project, which will enhance irrigation capacity in Vidarbha. He clarified that the state government will fully cooperate with the inclusive policy outlined by Shivraj Chouhan for the entire nation.State Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate noted that labor shortages for cotton picking have become a challenge. Research and development are underway for battery-operated small tractors, and if successful, the results will be presented to the Agriculture Ministry.During the event, farmers from the Nagpur division excelling in natural farming, organic farming, and farmer producer organisations were felicitated by the Union Agriculture Minister and the Chief Minister.The programme saw a large attendance of farmers and agricultural officers from the Nagpur division.–IANSsps/pgh

Hyderabad, May 18 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has ordered a thorough probe into the fire in a building near Charminar, which claimed 17 lives on Sunday.According to the Chief Minister’s Office, he ordered a probe to unearth the root cause of the blaze. The Chief Minister stressed that preventive measures should be taken to prevent such fire accidents in the future, and awareness should also be created among people.The Chief Minister expressed grief and condolences over the death of 17 people in the fire mishap. He also conveyed sympathies to the bereaved families and assured them of full support from the state governmentSoon after receiving information about the fire accident, he spoke to the Fire Service department and police officials on the phone and closely monitored the rescue operation. In addition to expediting the rescue operations, the CM asked the ministers who are available in the city and officials to rush immediately to the incident spot to provide better medical treatment to the victims.The Chief Minister enquired from Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Y. Nagi Reddy, Director General, Telangana Fire Disaster Response Emergency and Civil Defence, about the health condition of the injured and instructed them to shift the injured to the nearby hospitals for better medical treatment.He also spoke directly to the families of the victims on the phone and expressed deep sympathies for the loss of their family members. Assuring them of full support, the government has already announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.CM Revanth Reddy commended the Fire Services authorities for their prompt response, which averted further loss of lives in the fire incident.Eight children and five women were among 17 people killed in the fire that broke out in the building in Gulzar Houz near historic Charminar.Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Damodar Raja Narasimha visited the accident site. They also visited Osmania Hospital, where the bodies of the victims were kept.–IANSms/uk

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) Neeraj Chopra reflected on his recent outing at the Doha Diamond League 2025 where the Indian star finally breached the 90 metre mark with his throw of 90.23.The impact of new coach Jan Zelezny was apparent as Chopra finally crossed the match that he had attempted several times in the last few years. Chopra has recently appointed three-time Olympic gold medallist Zelezny of the Czech Republic as his coach, replacing Dr. Klaus Bartonietz and the 27-year-old thanked his coach and physio for their support while letting the people know that ‘This is just the beginning.’“Happy to finally achieve the 90m mark at the Doha DL. A big thank you to the Indian supporters in the stadium for their encouragement, and to those watching and praying from home. Grateful to my coach, Jan Zelezny and physio Ishaan Marwaha for their constant support. This is just the beginning. “After a steady start in which he reached 88.44m in his first attempt and followed it up with a foul, Chopra unleashed the monster throw in his third attempt and crossed the milestone that has evaded him for a while with a throw of 90.23m.With this throw, Neeraj joins the elite club of javelin throwers who have crossed the 90 m mark, which includes reigning Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, reaffirming his status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.Neeraj fouled his fourth attempt, and just when it looked like the Indian star would bag another golden triumph in a Diamond League meet, Germany’s Julian Weber snatched the victory with a 91.06m attempt in the final round.It was a good result for Chopra as it took off the pressure of crossing the 90m mark off his back, and the Indian star can now concentrate on defending his World Championship gold and on regaining the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles in 2028.–IANSaaa/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his frequent digs at Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi over alleged Pakistan links. Notably, the war of words between Sarma and Gogoi escalated after the Assam CM’s fresh claims about the Congress MP’s Pakistan visit, which the Deputy LoP described as “nonsense”.Taking to X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote: “The personal attacks on my colleague Gaurav Gogoi being continued by the Assam CM are worse than atrocious. Mr. HBS is simply unable to come to grips with the fact that a year back the people of Jorhat voted resoundingly in favour of Gaurav Gogoi and totally rejected the campaign managed by the Assam CM and his colleagues. These attacks are also meant to divert attention away from the Assam CM’s own monumental corruption and misdeeds. He knows well that he is the outgoing CM of Assam and hence his increasing desperation.”Earlier, on Sunday, Assam CM Sarma claimed that Gaurav Gogoi visited Pakistan at the invitation of the neighbouring country’s Ministry of Interior.Sarma posted on X: “I reiterate, with full authority and responsibility as the Chief Minister of Assam, that Shri Gaurab Gogoi, Member of Parliament from Assam, visited Pakistan at the invitation of the Ministry of Interior of the Government of Pakistan. He spent several days there. We are enquiring further into the details surrounding this visit and related associations.”Hours later, Gaurav — son of late former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi — responding to the claims, said “he is worried about Sarma’s health”.”I am worried about the health of the Chief Minister of Assam. For some reason best known to him I have been on his radar since my entry into Assam. He has made many baseless remarks about me in the past 13 years. The most recent one borders on insanity and the absurd. It is often said that when there is something bothering at home, it reflects in the mental state of the person. We will ensure that after 2026 he gets to have some rest,” the Congress MP wrote on X.Further criticising CM Sarma, Gogoi said: “The script that the Chief Minister is following is worse than a B grade film. It is said to cover up one lie a person has to say countless lies. That is exactly what the Chief Minister is doing. He is not giving out any facts and simply behaving like a IT cell troll.”A Chief Minister should not be a troll. If he has any facts supporting his most recent allegation he should put out in public domain. The farce cannot be hidden for too long.”Challenging CM Sarma to present facts about the claims he has been making, Gogoi said: “Ninety-nine per cent of what the Chief Minister has been saying is nonsense. He should put out the facts in public domain and stop hiding behind an imaginary September deadline. I doubt if even in September the Chief Minister can put out any concrete facts. I remember how during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Assam he created a fuss about a supposed body double of Rahul Gandhi.””The Chief Minister can remain insecure with me as he has been for the past 13 years. For the Congress party we will focus on the dire economic situation of the state and the coal-drug mafia being run under political protection,” Gogoi wrote on X.A few days ago, CM Sarma during a media interaction in Guwahati, said that they are awaiting certain official correspondence to take further action. He claimed that Gogoi had stayed in Pakistan for 15 days in a personal capacity, accompanied initially by his wife, who returned after seven days.The CM questioned the motive behind Gogoi’s extended stay, especially as his wife had returned to India. “What was he doing in Pakistan while his wife was here?” he asked pointedly.The CM further alleged that after returning, Gogoi took around 90 students to the Pakistan Embassy, and some of them were reportedly unaware of their destination.He also alluded to the Gogoi family’s foreign citizenship and claimed that all his immediate family members are non-Indian citizens, raising concerns about national security and political accountability.Sarma stated that once official documents are received by September 10, he will share them with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and the Lok Sabha Speaker, acknowledging that further decisions would lie with parliamentary authorities given jurisdictional limits.–IANSpgh/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) KL Rahul shined on his promotion to the openers role by slamming a majestic 112 not out and carry Delhi Capitals to a massive 199/3 in their 20 overs against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.On a slightly slower pitch, Rahul was at his clean and pristine best in strokeplay, especially when hitting through the line to hit 112 not out off 65 balls – his fifth IPL hundred. His spectacular knock included 14 fours and four sixes as Rahul also became the first ever batter to score IPL centuries for three different teams – having done this previously for Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.Apart from being the team’s main driving force with the bat, Rahul also finished the innings well to ensure DC posted a total which can challenge GT’s top-order might. He found great support from other batters – Abishek Porel sizzled with a 19-ball 30, skipper Axar Patel hit two fours and a six in his 16-ball 25 and Tristan Stubbs was unbeaten on 21 off 10 balls.Pushed into batting first, Rahul found two boundaries in the opening over off Mohammed Siraj – one via a misfield at deep third man, while the other came off a pristine backfoot cut past point. With Faf du Plessis struggling for timing against GT’s pacers and holed out to mid-on off Arshad Khan, there was no stopping Rahul.When Siraj pitched it short and outside off-stump, Rahul was quick to cut past backward point and pull over mid-on for two boundaries. Against a returning Kagiso Rabada, Rahul was at his terrific best – moving slightly across to get inside line of the short ball and played swivelled across over square leg for a six.Two balls later, Rabada offered room and Rahul, who also became the fastest Indian batter and third overall by innings to complete 8000 runs in men’s T20s, reached out to carve him over point, before standing tall to launch the pacer for a towering six down the ground, as 17 runs came off final power-play over, with DC closing the phase at 45/1.Rahul was then proactive in rotating the strike off Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan, before sweeping the latter for a boundary to bring up his fifty off 35 balls, with the home crowd chanting his name loudly. Luck was also on Rahul’s side as R Sai Kishore couldn’t reach out in time to catch his top-edge on sweep and conceded a boundary.Rahul left everyone jaw-dropped by backing away and lofting a half-volley from the pacer down the ground for six. Rahul then pressed the accelerator button by hitting Kishore for a hat-trick of boundaries – unfurling a powerful straight drive which ran through the bowler’s legs, a flick being parried over boundary rope by Rabada and edge running through vacant first slip.Despite not getting much strike in last four overs, Rahul unfurled a lofted off-drive against Prasidh for six, before pulling him powerfully to get his century and soaking in the applause from a joyous home crowd. Rahul applied finishing touches by reverse-paddling and driving Siraj for two boundaries, and set GT on an uphill chase.Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 199/3 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 112 not out, Abishek Porel 30; Arshad Khan 1-7, Prasidh Krishna 1-40) against Gujarat Titans–IANSnr/

Chennai, May 18 (IANS) Actress Nikki Galrani on Sunday posted an adorable post for her husband, actor Aadhi, on the occasion of their third wedding anniversary.
Taking to her Instagram page to post pictures of their time together, Nikki wrote a heartfelt post, in which she said, “Thanks for being my best friend, my daily dose of laughter, and the one who turns all my weirdness into laughter. Three years of laughs, love, and late-night snacks we swore we wouldn’t eat — and I wouldn’t trade a single moment. You’re my safe place, my human heater, my favorite chaos and the one I wanna grow old and silly with. Happy three my Nanu.”Several other stars congratulated the couple on their third wedding anniversary. Some of those who congratulated the couple included actors Aishwarya Rajesh and Kiki Vijay.Interestingly, the couple were among several celebrities who were spotted offering prayers at Tirupati on Sunday.Actor Adhi wed actress Nikki Galrani in a grand ceremony in May the year 2022. In August the same year, the actor shared a cute behind the scenes video of their wedding ceremony.Taking to X, Aadhi had then said, “Almost three months as Mr and Mrs already. Feels like yesterday. Here is a small glimpse of what our magical day looked like.A day we will cherish, forever! Much love to our families & friends who were a part of our big day and made it special. Lots more wedding madness coming your way.”The one-minute-and-36-second long video clip showcased some of the happy moments both the bride, the groom, their respective families and friends had before and during the wedding ceremony. The video had a song, sung by singers BRK and Kamalaja Rajagopal and set to tune of music director Achu Rajamani, as its background score.–IANSmkr/

Narainpur, May 18 (IANS) Mizoram booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U20 National Football Championship from Group D after demolishing Tripura 11-1 at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Stadium, on Sunday. Jharkhand defeated Himachal Pradesh in the other match of the group.Mizoram are now top of the group with nine points from three matches, an unassailable lead. Maharashtra and Tripura are behind them with six pints, but even if they catach-up to Mizoram, the northeastern side have beaten both, and will be ahead by dint of a better head-to-head record.Nine goals in the second half saw Mizoram claim a massive 11-1 victory against Tripura, to seal their last eight spot. Mizoram led 2-1 at half-time.Mesak Lalrinngheta (15’, 83’, 90’, 90+1’) and PC Pazawna (47’, 52’, 54’, 77’) scored four each for Mizoram, while Michael Lalbiaksanga (60’, 63’) netted two and Ngurthanmawia (31’) one. Sukha Dayal Jamatia (29’) scored the only goal for Tripura.Earlier in the day, Jharkhand defeated bottom side Himachal Pradesh 2-1. The former led 1-0 at half-time.Chandra Mohan Soy (10’) gave Jharkhand the lead early on, before Aryan Thakur (53’) equalised in the second half. Parity did not last long, however, as Daksh Kumar Mahli (55’) scored the deciding goal a couple of minutes later.On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh provisionally went to the top of Group C in the Swami Vivekananda Men’s U20 National Football Championship after they drew 2-2 with Sikkim. In the second match of the day, Manipur defeated Ladakh 4-1.While UP are currently top of the group with seven points from four matches, Manipur and Punjab are in close pursuit with six points after having played one match less than the current toppers. UP have finished all their matches in the group, however, and it will all depend on the results in the matches between Punjab and Ladakh, and Manipur and Sikkim, on May 19. Only the top team will progress to the quarter-finals.–IANSaaa/

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) With Delhi’s AQI recorded as ‘moderate’ on Sunday, a day…

Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 (IANS) A massive fire broke out at a three-storied wholesale textile store in Kozhikode on Sunday evening, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering panic in the bustling New Bus Stand area.

An official said that firefighting operations have been underway for more than three hours, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the blaze.The fire was first spotted around 5 p.m. on the second floor of a shopping complex that houses the textile outlet.Eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke and flames billowing from the upper floors, soon engulfing the entire building. Fortunately, police confirmed that no injuries or casualties have been reported so far.Local shopkeepers said the textile shop had received large consignments of school uniforms and related goods over the past week, anticipating a surge in demand ahead of the new academic year.The materials were stacked densely in the store’s godown, which likely added to the intensity of the fire.The building, being fully air-conditioned, posed a significant challenge to the fire and rescue personnel attempting to break through and assess the fire’s spread.Firefighters equipped with oxygen cylinders made several attempts to enter the building, battling both heat and visibility issues. One of the primary concerns was preventing the fire from spreading to a large adjacent commercial building. Fire units have been strategically stationed at both ends of the shop complex and near the bus stand to combat the flames from multiple directions.Additional units are being dispatched to Mananchira for water refilling. Crowd control has also emerged as a concern, with hundreds of onlookers gathering on either side of the road, obstructing the movement of emergency vehicles. Police have cordoned off the area and are using public address systems to urge the public to vacate the vicinity.By late evening, fire officials reported that the blaze had been brought under control within the building, though cooling operations were still underway.An investigation is expected to be launched into the cause of the fire and potential safety lapses.–IANSaal/dan