Dr Nusrat Parveen, who shot into the limelight following a viral video from an appointment ceremony earlier this month in which Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is seen tugging at her hijab, is set to join her position at Patna’s Govt Tibbi College at 10am on Saturday, reports Ismat Ara. “Yes, she will join work,” college principal Mahfooz Ur Rehman told TOI on Friday, dismissing “unfounded reports” that she has refused to take up the position. Principal: Doctor wants to move on Parveen will officially report to the department of medicine, which functions under the AYUSH and health department.“From what I understand, she wants to move on, and there is no controversy or complaints from her side,” Rehman said.Everything is on track for Nusrat Parveen,the doctor at the centre of the hijab row swirling around Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, to join her position at Patna’s Govt Tibbi College today, according to principal. Mahfooz Ur Rehman.Rehman has remained in touch with Parveen’s family during the period of heightened public attention. “I have spoken with her husband and her brother-in-law. I have also spoken to her classmates and other students”,” he said.Rehman added that the college administration has taken steps to ensure a smooth joining process. “Our objective is to support her and ensure a seamless transition into the college,” he said.The video that sparked widespread debate showed CM Nitish Kumar adjusting Parveen’s hijab during the distribution of appointment letters on Dec 15. The incident triggered political reactions and criticism from opposition parties, including the RJD and Congress.Parveen’s friend and former batchmate Bilkis also confirmed that the former will pursue her career in earnest. “She used to always stay in purdah like seen in that video,” Bilkis added.Referring to the episode, Rehman said the focus should now shift back to Parveen’s professional role. “She wants to concentrate on her work. The incident should not overshadow her career or her responsibilities at the college,” he said. With her reporting scheduled for tomorrow, the principal said the administration has ensured a supportive environment.

After Donald Trump, several other celebrities have now become the new target of the House Oversight Committee as Democrats released new photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on Thursday, on the eve of the Department of Justice’s deadline to release all of its files on his case.The Committee released around 70 photographs, drawn from Epstein’s computer and email accounts, there were among 95,000 handed over by Epstein’s estate last week and were provided to the committee without context. They shed further light on his lifestyle and social circles.

One image shows former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates standing next to a woman whose face is redacted. Another features Noam Chomsky seated beside Epstein on a plane. Several photographs depict a social gathering over a meal and include faces of powerful or public figures, among them Epstein. A separate image, apparently from the same room, shows Google co-founder Sergey Brin beside New York Times columnist David Brooks. A New York Times spokesperson said in a statement, “As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event. Mr. Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner.” Several images in the new release show Epstein with women whose faces have been redacted. One photograph appears to show three women with Epstein beside an open computer, one of the women with her arm around his shoulder. Another shows Epstein seated on a plane, pointing out a window while a woman sits closely beside him; her face has also been obscured. Some photos in this batch offer close-ups of a foot and a neck, both inscribed in black pen with quotes from the book Lolita. Additional items include identification cards or passports of several unidentified people from countries such as Russia and the Czech Republic, a hand holding open Epstein’s own passport, and what appears to be a screenshot of text messages saying “I will send u girls now”,” with another one showing an unknown sender writing, “Maybe someone would be good for J?” and including the age and body measurements for an unidentified person. There is also a hand holding a drug bottle labelled for phenazopyridine, a generic analgesia used to relieve urinary tract pain and burning. The latest cache of photographs comes a day before the Justice Department’s deadline to release the Epstein files, after Congress mandated the information be made public. Rep. Robert Garcia, Democratic ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement Thursday, “Oversight Democrats will continue to release photographs and documents from the Epstein estate to provide transparency for the American people.” He added, “As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession. We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.”

Brisbane Heat pulled off a stunning run chase in the Big Bash League (BBL) history that left everyone in shock on Friday (December 19). Chasing a massive target of 258, the Brisbane Heat thrashed the Perth Scorchers by eight wickets in the 6th game of the ongoing BBL 2025-26 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Jack Wildermuth and Matt Renshaw produced a batting show that will be remembered for years. Wildermuth stayed unbeaten on a sensational 110, while Renshaw smashed a brilliant 102, helping Brisbane Heat to pull off a near-impossible chase in BBL history.

Brisbane Heat pull off historic chase to script history in Big Bash League

The crowd at the Gabba was treated to fearless hitting, clean strikes, and nonstop entertainment with both Heat and Scorchers combining for a staggering 515 runs and 36 sixes in the Big Bash League 2025-26 clash on Friday. This is the highest ever run chase in the history of the BBL.

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Additionally, for the first time ever in T20 cricket history, two batters scored centuries while chasing a target. Brisbane Heat’s successful chase now also stands as the third-highest successful chase in T20s. The match also saw the most sixes ever hit in a single BBL game—36.

Wildermuth and Renshaw recorded the highest partnership ever recorded in a BBL match, as two batters completely took the game away from the opposition with the spectacular 212-run stand for the second wicket off just 95 balls at the Gabba.

Another record belongs to Wildermuth and Renshaw, as two centuries were scored in the same match for the first time in the Big Bash League.

THEY DID IT! The Heat successfully chase 258 in an impossible run chase 🤯 #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/DYmUKgvZK3

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 19, 2025

Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat Match Highlight

Earlier, the Perth Scorchers had set a massive total of 257, thanks to a brilliant 142-run partnership between Cooper Connolly (77 runs off 37 balls) and Finn Allen (79 runs off 38 balls). It was the second highest ever total in the BBL history that had almost given the Scorchers a win, but the Brisbane Heat had other plans.

The chase began disastrously for the Heat as Colin Munro was dismissed on the very first ball, putting early pressure on the team. But Renshaw and Wildermuth immediately turned the game on its head. Both batters launched a fearless assault, taking on the Scorchers’ bowlers with relentless aggression.

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Luck also played a part early on, with Renshaw surviving a no-ball catch and Wildermuth escaping a dropped chance. And they made the most of the lifelines given by the Scorchers in the BBL clash. They took the side to the record-breaking victory, and Max Bryant contributed 28 runs before retiring out.

It’s a bit of a pinch-me moment: Matt Renshaw

Renshaw was named Player of the Match for his incredible hitting at the Gabba. Renshaw said at the post-match presentation, “I still don’t really believe it. It’s a bit of a pinch-me moment, lots of goosebumps. An incredible effort. I think a lot of people probably wrote us off, and to be honest, we might have as well after losing a wicket first ball.

But having Wildermuth at the other end was massive. I’ll definitely be sharing the POTM award with him; he deserves probably half of it, maybe more. That never-say-die attitude made all the difference. It was one of those strange ones (partnership) where we didn’t talk too much. It was more about taking the right options, seeing the ball, and hitting it where you needed to.”

NEW DELHI: Air India Express grounded a senior pilot rostered for duty on Friday after he allegedly assaulted a passenger in front of his family at Delhi airport’s T1 over the latter being allowed to use a security-check lane where aircraft crew and other staff supposedly get priority.Passenger Ankit Dewan accused Captain Virender Sejwal, en route to Bengaluru by IndiGo to join duty, of leaving him with a bloodied face when he called him out for allegedly “cutting the queue”. He said the pilot retorted that the lane was meant for staff and asked him if he was “anpadh” (illiterate), triggering what was initially a verbal altercation.Sources said Sejwal, seen in a blood-smeared white shirt in pictures posted by Dewan on his X handle, allegedly struck the passenger when the latter used “foul language for his ailing mother.” Security personnel intervened and the pilot flew to Bengaluru, but was barred from operating the flight he was to pilot from there. AI Express issued a statement later that Sejwal had been grounded pending an inquiry.Dewan, who describes himself as a “credit card & miles enthusiast” in his bio on X, posted on Friday night that he was to board a SpiceJet flight with his wife, daughter and an infant when the fracas took place.The passenger said airport staff guided him and his family to that security-check “because we had a 4-month-old baby in a stroller”. Dewan wrote that he had to “see a doctor” on reaching his destination and that his “seven-year-old daughter, who saw her father get assaulted brutally, is still traumatised & scared”.“I have no clue how DGCA and Air India Express can allow such pilots to fly. If they can’t keep their cool in a scuffle, can they be trusted with the lives of hundreds of people in the sky? How can Delhi airport get away with such mismanagement, combining staff entry with passengers carrying infants, creating chaos at a sensitive security area? I thought airports were safe places,” he said.Dewan claimed he was forced to write a letter stating that he wouldn’t pursue the case. “It was either write that letter or miss my flight and throw the 1.2 lakh holiday bookings down the drain. Delhi police, why can’t I file a complaint after coming back? Will the CCTV footage disappear in the two days till I make it back to Delhi?” he said.An AI Express spokesperson said the airline “remains committed to ensuring that its employees act responsibly at all times”.“We are aware of an incident involving one of our employees, who was travelling as a passenger on another airline… We unequivocally condemn such behaviour…Appropriate disciplinary action will be initiated based on the findings of the inquiry.”

From Pandharpur’s pilgrimage trails to the former US president’s 2025 playlist, a 13th-century Marathi prayer for universal brotherhood has leapt across time and tides to find a place in Barack Obama’s annual music recommendations.Amid high-energy international pop, hip-hop, and Afrobeats — from Lady Gaga and Blackpink to Kendrick Lamar and Burna Boy — Obama’s list of favourite songs, posted on X on Dec 18, features ‘Pasayadan’, a contemplative modern rendition of the 13th-century abhang by New York-born Tamil Nadu-raised vocalist Ganavya, available on YouTube. ‘Pasayadan’, composed by Sant Dnyaneshwar in the late 13th century, is traditionally sung at the conclusion of the wari, the annual Varkari pilgrimage to Pandharpur. Unlike many devotional compositions that emphasise personal salvation, the abhang casts its net wide, praying for the well-being of all beings, say cultural experts.Drawing from jazz, ambient textures, and South Asian classical traditions, Ganavya’s rendition features in her 2025 album ‘Nilam’, co-produced by Nils Frahm at Berlin’s Funkhaus studio. Viewed widely after Obama’s nod, the track’s YouTube music video, directed by Vali Chandrasekaran and featuring dancer David Adrian Freeland Jr, mirrors its contemplative spirit. In her ‘Nilam’ press statement and interviews around the release, Ganavya explained that ‘Pasayadan’ “is an abhang from the pilgrimage tradition… one of the last prayers we’d sing… where the young saint prays for the sun to rise in all cold hearts…” Describing it as a meditation on wisdom, compassion, and mutual sanctuary amid suffering, she had added that Nilam’s’ central theme is “doing what we need to do to keep carrying on”.Marathi literary experts say the early lines of the abhang establish its moral vision: ‘Je khalanchi vyankati sando, taya satkarmi rati vadho’ — a plea for cruelty to dissolve and wisdom to grow. Its most enduring line, ‘Bhootan paraspere pado, maitra jivanche’, expresses a wish that all beings be bound in friendship. Another verse, ‘Duritanche timir javo, vishva swadharma surye paaho’, calls for the darkness of suffering and ignorance to be dispelled and for the world to be illumined by ethical light.For Marathi scholar Aparna Bedekar, who has a doctorate on sant sahitya, ‘Pasayadan’ represents the philosophical culmination of the Dnyaneshwari, the foundational text of the Bhagwat tradition. “Pasayadan has emerged as its supreme prayer,” she says in Marathi. “Through this prayer, the Varkari pilgrimage in Maharashtra came to embrace people across 18 communities, dissolving distinctions of caste, sect, modes of worship, and social hierarchy.” Saints such as Gora Kumbhar, Sena Nhavi, Savata Mali, Narhari Sonar — and even Kanho Patra, a courtesan — became part of the pilgrimage, she notes, finding spiritual upliftment within its fold.Written in the spoken Marathi of the people, abhangs travelled not through texts alone but through memory, footfall, and voice. Satish Joglekar, author of ‘Window to Ancient India’, describes ‘Pasayadan’ as a prayer that transcends ‘dharma, creed, and time’, surpassing even the Upanishadic idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the world as one family — because it urges individuals to actively become a refuge for others.The message resonates in the present day. “The world is going through war and strife, so it is deeply relevant,” says Prasad Kambli, director of the acclaimed musical play ‘Sangeet Dev Bababhali’, which features abhangs by 17th-century poet-saint Sant Tukaram. ‘Pasayadan’ is about universal brotherhood. For Dnyaneshwar, this was the crux of the Bhagavad Gita. What was articulated eight centuries ago is being heard again today in a different form, he adds.According to the Siddha Yoga Path website, ‘Pasayadan’ is offered as a gift of divine grace meant for ‘the upliftment and benefit of all people’, reflecting Dnyaneshwar’s wish that compassion and joy reach every human life. The abhang, meaning ‘unbroken’, lies at the heart of the Varkari tradition, which rejected ritual hierarchy and Sanskrit exclusivity in favour of lived ethics and communal devotion, say cultural experts.In modern times, the prayer entered public consciousness through Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s iconic composition, which carried it from pilgrimage routes into homes, concerts, and civic gatherings. Now, Ganavya’s contemporary version propels it into the global spotlight.Obama’s annual book, movies and music list — a tradition he began in the White House — include other Indian highlights such as author Kiran Desai’s acclaimed ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ apart from another work that the ex-US president had recommended over the summer: Anita Desai’s ‘Rosarita’. Like ‘Pasayadan’, the books contain similar themes of belonging, human connection and the call to care for others.

US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning against those who intended to “threaten or attack America” as the States launched Operation Hawkeye Strike against ISIS targets in Syria. The move came after two American soldiers were killed in the Syrian desert“Because of ISIS’s vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,” he said.“We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated. The Government of Syria, led by a man who is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria, and is fully in support. All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned — YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE USA,” he added. Syrian state television said the strikes struck locations in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces, as well as the Jabal al-Amour area near Palmyra, AP reported. According to the report, the attacks were aimed at weapons depots and command centers used by the Islamic State group to plan and launch operations in the region.The US Army identified the two National Guard members killed in Syria on Saturday as Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. Also killed was Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Macomb, Michigan, a US civilian serving as an interpreter. The shooting, which occurred nearly a week earlier near the historic city of Palmyra, injured three additional US service members along with several Syrian security personnel, while the attacker was fatally shot.

Mumbai: The state govt has decided to review and regulate the names of schools across Maharashtra that are misleading or misrepresent information. The decision follows observations by the school education department that several institutions are using terms such as ‘international’ and ‘global’ in their names without offering an international curriculum, thereby creating confusion among parents, students and the general public. The Directorate of School Education has now clarified that these terms may be used only by schools that have branches abroad or are affiliated with international boards.In a circular dated Dec 15, the state’s Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education noted that there is a large degree of variation in the names of schools. “Some schools are affiliated to the state board, but use international, global, CBSE in their names. Similarly, some schools are approved as Marathi-medium schools but are using the term ‘English medium’ in their names,” stated the circular. It added that the use of words such as ‘global’ or ‘international’ is expected only when the school has branches overseas and when the school is affiliated to an internationally-recognised board. In some names, added the circular, the term ‘CBSE’ is used, which is not legally appropriate, as it refers to the central govt’s examination board.The circular noted: “In such circumstances, the possibility of misleading the govt, society, parents and students with such names cannot be ruled out…”The issue came up for discussion when a state-level authority was scrutinising the proposals for approval and upgradation of new, self-financed schools in a meeting held on Dec 10. It was decided that school names using misleading terms may have a negative impact on parents and students and therefore, should be instructed to change their names.Shriram Panzade, joint director, school education, said existing schools with such names will be reviewed too. Unless schools have a branch in two or more countries, they cannot call themselves global, he said. Schools which are not affiliated to Cambridge (Cambridge International Education) or the IB (International Baccalaureate) should not use the word ‘international’, he said.Additionally, the circular mentioned that while examining new proposals for school recognition in the future, a detailed consideration should be given to the school’s name, its board affiliation and medium, and other schools run by the same institution at the national or international level. If the name is misleading, they will be asked to change it, before recommending it to state authority. The department highlighted names of 11 new schools from across the state where the word ‘international’ has been used. Field officers have been asked to verify the school names before submitting revised proposals for these schools.In the list issued by the directorate office, there are schools from across the state offering state board, ICSE and even CBSE board curriculum, but have included the word ‘international’ and ‘global’ in their names.