NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his wedding. He shared a post from his official handle, which quoted the post by Albanese sharing his wedding video.“Congratulations to my good friend, PM Anthony Albanese and Ms Jodie Haydon on their wedding. Wishing them a happy married life,” the Prime Minister wrote.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese married his partner, Jodie Haydon, on Saturday in an intimate ceremony held at The Lodge, his official Canberra residence. The occasion marked a historic first, as no serving Australian prime minister had previously married while in office during the country’s 124 years of federation.

The wedding concludes a remarkable year for Albanese, following only months after he guided the Labour Party to a sweeping election win, securing a record 94 seats in the lower house.Earlier in the day, the Australian Prime Minister revealed that he had married his partner Jodie Haydon in a private ceremony at The Lodge in Canberra, becoming the first sitting Australian leader to marry while in office.“We are truly thrilled to share our love and our commitment to spending our lives together, surrounded by our family and closest friends,” Albanese and Haydon said in a joint statement released Saturday morning.Local media reported that numerous leaders, including several senior ministers such as Penny Wong, Mark Butler, Katy Gallagher, Don Farrell, Tony Burke, Richard Marles, Jim Chalmers, Tim Ayres and Jenny McAllister, along with New South Wales MPs John Graham and Jo Haylen, were present at the ceremony.Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also extended her congratulations on the marriage.“Congratulations to Anthony and Jodie! I wish them all the happiness as they continue building their future together,” Ley said, as quoted by Australian media shortly after the announcement became public.

On the eve of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul addressed the media, confirming the selection dilemma regarding opener Ruturaj Gaikwad. Following a humiliating 0-2 whitewash in the preceding Test series, the Indian team is eager to turn their fortunes around in the shorter formats, starting with the three ODIs. Rahul gave a glowing assessment of Gaikwad’s abilities but acknowledged the difficulty in finding a spot for him due to the settled nature of the top order.

KL Rahul’s high praise for Ruturaj Gaikwad’s class ahead of IND vs SA ODI series

Stand-in captain Rahul was effusive in his praise for Gaikwad, recognizing the young opener’s quality and his compelling form that earned him a recall to the national side. Gaikwad’s inclusion comes on the back of impressive domestic performances, notably his stunning exploits against South Africa A, where he registered scores of 117, 68*, and 25 in the unofficial One-Dayers. Rahul conceded that Gaikwad is a “top-class player. We’ve all seen that whatever limited opportunities he has received, he has utilised them well and shown what he can do.”

However, Rahul explained the persistent selection challenge: “Unfortunately, in ODIs, the top five or six is quite settled and performing well, so you feel bad for players who don’t get enough chances.” He acknowledged the current situation, where injuries to key players like Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have opened up opportunities, must be seized: “It’s unfortunate for those missing out, but with a few injuries, he now has an opportunity.” Rahul concluded by affirming the team management’s intent to play the young batsman: “He will get his chance at some stage. We’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity and letting him show what he can do.”

Also READ: Parthiv Patel reveals his predicted India XI for 1st ODI vs South Africa; leaves out superstar player

IND vs SA: Rahul clears the air on Gaikwad’s participation in Ranchi ODI

Rahul stressed that while Gaikwad’s skill level has never been in question, his chance hinged purely on timing, suggesting the current series against South Africa could be his long-awaited opportunity to cement his place. Gaikwad last played an ODI during India’s 2023 tour of South Africa, and the current series presents his best shot at consistent selection due to the absence of regular openers.

Rahul reiterated the management’s view that the series offers a chance for the young talent to shine, stating: “There’s never been a question about his skill – it’s only about the right opportunity and timing. Hopefully, this series gives him that chance.” The ODI series against Temba Bavuma‘s South African side, beginning on Sunday, is critical for the Indian team to redeem themselves after their demoralizing Test performance, making any potential selection of Gaikwad a high-stakes decision aimed at adding stability and form to the batting unit.

Also READ: Ayush Mhatre breaks Rohit Sharma’s record with exceptional century in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2025

KTS 4.0 will open at NaMo Ghat on Dec 2, coinciding with Karthigai Deepam on Dec 4

NEW DELHI: Even as the Centre and the DMK-led Tamil Nadu govt continue to spar over education-related issues, the fourth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) marks a significant expansion of the Union govt’s Tamil language outreach with two major initiatives – sending 300 college students from Varanasi to Tamil Nadu for immersive Tamil learning and bringing 50 Tamil teachers to Varanasi schools to teach spoken Tamil. Officials maintain that the push remains culturally anchored and aimed at strengthening India’s linguistic traditions.KTS 4.0 will open at NaMo Ghat on Dec 2, coinciding with Karthigai Deepam on Dec 4. More than 1,500 delegates from Tamil Nadu will participate in an eight-day programme featuring knowledge-sharing sessions, cultural events and heritage visits to Kashi Vishwanath temple, BHU, Sarnath, Hanuman Ghat and Ayodhya temple. The theme – “Let Us Learn Tamil or Tamil Karkalam” – reinforces the idea of Indian languages as part of a shared civilisational fabric.What makes this year’s edition notable is the Centre’s scaling-up of Tamil-learning programmes at a time when its relationship with Tamil Nadu govt remains strained over NEET, the three-language policy and centralisation of education regulation. Officials say the reciprocal model – Tamil teachers in Uttar Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh students in Tamil Nadu – is intended to deepen “people-to-people connections.” Under the Tamil Karkalam campaign, 50 teachers from Tamil Nadu will begin spoken Tamil classes across 50 Varanasi schools from Dec 2 to Dec 15, reaching 1,500 students.The inaugural batches arrive on Dec 1.In return, 300 college students from Varanasi will travel in 10 batches to Tamil Nadu between Dec 17 and Dec 30. After an orientation at Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai, they will be placed across nine host institutions, including IIT Madras, Central University of Pondicherry, Gandhigram Rural Institute and Sastra University.A senior official with the ministry of education said the dual initiatives would “take Tamil learning beyond symbolic engagement to structured classroom exposure.”“KTS 4.0 celebrates India’s knowledge traditions by making language a living bridge,” said the official, adding, “When Tamil teachers teach in Kashi and students from Varanasi learn Tamil in its native soil, we are renewing the shared heritage and ancient currents that have linked the two regions for centuries.”The Sage Agastya Vehicle Expedition (SAVE) – tracing ancient Tamil-Kashi linkages from Tenkasi to Varanasi – will also be launched on Dec 2, highlighting civilisational ties shaped by the Chera, Chola, Pandya, Pallava and Chalukya dynasties. It will conclude in Varanasi on Dec 12. Four allied events under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat will run alongside the Sangamam.

IndiGo confirmed late on Saturday that all 200 aircraft in its A320-family fleet had been fully updated, becoming the first major Indian operator to complete the mandatory enhancement. In a message posted on X, the airline said the work was “carefully coordinated” between engineering and operations teams and carried out with “minimal impact on customers’ journeys and zero cancellations”. It added that the entire fleet was now flying with the latest approved configuration, with routine monitoring continuing.Air India and Air India Express also reported rapid progress, with more than 90% of their affected aircraft upgraded by Saturday night. The push came after aviation regulators in India and Europe issued urgent directives requiring operators to install software protections designed to prevent possible data corruption in flight-control systems.

Regulators step in as airbus issues global warning

Airbus triggered the global response on Friday after telling operators that intense solar radiation could corrupt data in key flight-control computers. The company identified a “significant number” of A320 family aircraft as potentially at risk and urged immediate installation of updated software or, in some cases, hardware realignment.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an Airworthiness Directive soon after, covering a wide range of A319, A320 and A321 variants. Indian airlines were instructed to carry out the upgrades without delay, with a deadline set for early Sunday morning.Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury issued an apology to airlines and passengers affected by delays, saying, “I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now. But we consider that nothing is more important than safety when people fly on one of our Airbus aircraft… Our teams are working around the clock to support our operators and ensure these updates are deployed as swiftly as possible.”

Airlines push through updates as delays ripple across airports

According to DGCA data, 338 Indian A320-family aircraft required the update, with modifications completed on more than 270 by Saturday evening. IndiGo upgraded 184 of its 200 affected aircraft earlier in the day, before confirming full completion later at night. Air India reported successful resets on over 90% of its operating A320 fleet, while Air India Express said 22 of its 25 impacted aircraft had been updated.The upgrades—conducted at bases in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata—caused delays of 60–90 minutes at several airports. Air India Express cancelled four flights, though IndiGo and Air India avoided cancellations.Aviation experts said the issue demanded swift action. Former pilot Ehsan Khalid explained that the affected Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC) is central to flight control: “The software problem with one of the ELACs is significant,” he said, citing a JetBlue incident where an A320 experienced an uncommanded pitch-down, injuring passengers.With most Indian aircraft now updated and global airlines racing to do the same, regulators and Airbus say they expect normal operations to resume rapidly—though full worldwide compliance may take longer, given the nearly 6,000 aircraft requiring upgrades.

Chest: 49 inches. Biceps: 14.5 inches. The measurements somehow didn’t fit the brief. Tailor Pintya set down the tape and once again sized up the soon-to-be postman for whom he was stitching a khaki uniform. When he had last measured Ashutosh Saha, he was a scrawny neighbourhood teen given to sprinting in the bylanes of Bhayander. “I got the job of a postman as I am now a bodybuilding champion,” Saha told him back in 2023. Two years on, the uniform seems two sizes too small for the 28-year-old, who returned from Indonesia recently with a medal that sits above his TV.At the 16th WBPF World Bodybuilding & Physique Sports Championships 2025–held from Nov 14 to 16–in Batam, Saha won bronze in the 85 kg category, becoming India Post‘s first bodybuilding medallist.“I felt like a superhero for a few moments,” he says. His parents teared up. Even as he held up the tricolour at the contest in which 34 national teams competed across categories, his parents teared up and friends cheered but he felt a familiar tug. “I know my potential. I could have done better. I’ve decided I will win gold in 2026.”While a global stereotype suggests postmen have strong calves from the physical demands of their job, Saha’s legs were built long before he began cycling through the streets of Worli as a 26-year-old in fresh khaki in 2023.Fresh from his SSC exams, he was 15 when he first entered a local gym. “My father, who was working as a manager at a chemical firm, suggested I join instead of wasting time during the vacation.” Today, he is the first from India Post to bring home a bodybuilding medal.A sprinter in school, his body adapted quickly to gym training in tenth grade. “My father used to work out. I think I am genetically gifted for bodybuilding.” Within two years, the lean teenager from Bhayandar had transformed. By 2016, he finished fifth at Jr Mumbai Shree, later winning gold at Jr Mumbai Shree and Jr Maharashtra Shree. Nationals were within reach, but financial hardship forced him to pull out. A typical competition prep month—nutrition, protein, and medical tests—costs Rs 45,000. “Multiply that by eight. Nearly Rs 3.5 lakh. I couldn’t afford it,” recalls Saha. Unable to see him heartbroken, his mother mortgaged her jewellery. In 2017, much to his father’s chagrin, she sold her mangalsutra, a gold chain, a ring, and a pair of earrings to fund his Rs 3 lakh trip to the national tournament in Punjab. What followed was a clean sweep the following year: Jr Mumbai Shree overall, Jr Maharashtra Shree overall, and Jr Mr India overall. Just as his prospects surged, an accident in 2019 shattered his left forearm. Doctors inserted 12 screws and a plate and told him he would never lift weights again. “I thought everything was over,” he says. After nearly a year of recovery, he returned to the gym.During this time, he applied to an India Post recruitment drive for sportspersons. When results were declared in 2023, he was the only bodybuilder selected, joining as a postman in Worli MDG under the Maharashtra Circle. The job came with punishing logistics: a three-hour commute from Bhayandar, long delivery rounds, meals eaten on the go, and gym sessions squeezed into late evenings. “My colleagues would taunt me for getting a two-hour concession as a sportsperson. They resented that I could leave early,” he says. But the salarkept him steady. “I am the sole breadwinner. My father retired long ago,” adds Saha, who has a sister.Still, he clawed his way back. In 2023, four years after his accident, he made a winning return at the Vashi Mahapaur Shree, taking the overall title. Over the next two years, he collected six state-level championships, five gold medals, a silver at Senior Mr India, and the overall trophy at DAK Shree—earning felicitations within the postal department.After 2024, he paused competing “to build the muscles I felt I lacked” and set his sights on Mr World. In May 2025, he cleared the IBBF trials in the 85 kg category. With the contest in November, he had five months to sculpt his best physique. His seniors—Deepak Sir, Prajakta Madam, and especially Astha Jain, Head of Mumbai West Division—supported him with on-duty leave and other assistance.Competing abroad brought new challenges—finding meals, navigating unfamiliar surroundings, managing nerves. But the federation, led by Chetan Pathare and the IBBF, handled accommodation, food, for the Indian contingent. “This was my first international flight,” says Saha, who now hopes to join the railways.

Mumbai: Developers are generally known to call the shots and always have the upper hand, but now housing societies across the city, planning to redevelop their buildings, are turning the tables on them. With builders queuing to grab redevelopment rights, these housing societies are upping the ante, squeezing maximum benefits for their properties, sometimes leading to “unrealistic demands”.According to market sources, societies are demanding additional area, hardship compensation, and displacement amounts that are 15%–25% higher than what the market realistically supports today. Beyond the standard area matching and displacement compensation many are asking for excess amenities and significant hardship payouts per member. In some cases, these expectations stretch beyond feasibility — for instance, societies are asking for substantial additional area, large displacement payouts, and premium-grade finishes, they said.“There’s a herd mentality at play — once a few societies in an area get a high offer, others assume that becomes the new baseline. But every plot has its own FSI profile, zoning constraints, and financial viability. You can’t benchmark every property against the most premium transaction in the belt,” said a property market watcher.Essentially, the sentiment that “developers are back in the market” post-2022 has led to inflated benchmarks across the western corridor. Between Bandra and Juhu, societies expect rents for alternate accommodation at the rate of Rs 225 a square foot when the rates are around Rs 150 to Rs 175 a sq ft. Individual corpus funds that are ideally between Rs 3,000 a sq ft to Rs 3,500 per sq ft on carpet are sought at the rate of Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000 a sq ft.“We have seen this trend quite prominently across the western belt — from Bandra right up to Borivli. The spike is especially visible in micro-markets like Khar, Santacruz, Andheri, and Goregaon, where redevelopment activity has intensified in the past couple of years. Even societies in Borivli and Kandivli, which traditionally saw more mid-segment projects, are now quoting unrealistic expectations comparable to those in Vile Parle or Juhu,” said property market sources.Said Sanjay Daga, CEO and MD, Anex Advisory, “Rising aspirations and changing lifestyles have influenced how societies approach negotiations. Many are seeking higher compensation, additional area and enhanced amenities, mainly driven by the belief that today’s buoyant market will support these expectations. At the same time, developers must follow strict feasibility parameters shaped by fluctuating land economics, construction costs and market absorption.“He added that it is equally important for societies to assess a developer’s track record rather than rely solely on the highest offer, as an initially lucrative proposal can prove costlier if project delivery falters. “Taking a balanced approach lies in recognising that both sides have legitimate concerns. While societies want fair value for their homes, developers need to ensure long-term viability and timely delivery is in check. When expectations and feasibility align, redevelopment becomes a collaborative opportunity rather than a point of contention.”Developer Ram Raheja said some societies exploring redevelopment may sometimes have expectations that appear commercially unrealistic. “There are several tenders we consciously step away from when the numbers stop making economic sense,” he said, adding that this trend has largely emerged because certain developers are willing to offer terms that stretch beyond standard feasibility norms. “Often, such developers are looking for a strategic entry into a micro-market where they are not yet established, and the bid becomes a gateway opportunity for them to compete with seasoned players already active in that locality,” he said.“It’s natural for members to want the best possible terms and maximise the benefits from redevelopment—no one can fault a society for that. However, it’s equally important to approach such expectations carefully, because redevelopment is a long-term commitment and the margin for error is very slim,” said Raheja.Experts said there are two main reasons: perception and partial information. First, many societies hear about record-breaking deals and assume the same numbers apply to them—without understanding the underlying economics. They focus on the headline figure rather than the project’s cost structure, sale value, or land utilization potential. Social media, word-of-mouth comparisons between societies, and anecdotal references to marquee projects have all contributed to this bubble of expectations.“What most societies miss is that land economics can shift drastically every few kilometres, and the feasibility of a redevelopment deal depends on FSI potential, construction cost, sale value, and market absorption—not just the perceived brand value of a location,” they said.There’s also a new trend of societies expecting 70–80% of the FSI share for members, up from the earlier 35–40%, assuming the developer can still make the numbers work. “When societies over-quote or demand unrealistic areas and payouts, credible developers step back, leaving room for smaller players with limited capital investment. These are often the ones who promise aggressively but lack the financial depth to deliver—leading to stalled projects and delayed possessions,” said a market expert.