BHOPAL: On a forested stretch of Bhopal-Jabalpur national highway, the National Highways Authority of India has introduced what it describes as India’s first integrated “wildlife-safe” road corridor, combining speed-calming design, fencing, animal underpasses and electronic monitoring on a section of NH-45 that cuts through a critical tiger habitat in MP. The features, on a 12km stretch through Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, aim to reduce animal road deaths by addressing not just where wildlife crosses, but how vehicles move.On this section, traffic volumes and speeds have risen sharply as a two-lane road has been widened to four, carrying faster vehicles, heavier loads and far less tolerance for interruptions.It’s country’s first wildlife-sensitive ‘red road’: NHAIHighways cutting through forests often place animals at risk as they cross roads to reach different parts of their habitat. Speeding vehicles on such stretches have historically led to frequent & often fatal collisions. At the centre of the new design is a 2km zone that looks, at first glance, almost decorative. The asphalt is overlaid with raised red thermoplastic markings, 5mm thick, laid out in a continuous band across the carriageway.

“To mitigate this risk, NHAI applied a 5mm thick red surface layer – the ‘table-top’ – over the road in the designated danger zone within the tiger reserve. The bright red texture signals to drivers that they are entering a wildlife-sensitive stretch and its slightly raised surface automatically reduces vehicle speed,” said S K Singh, regional officer, NHAI. “As per my knowledge, it is the first such concept implemented in the country,” he added.Officials involved in the project say the markings serve two purposes. Visually, they announce that the driver is entering a forest stretch where the rules of the road subtly change. Physically, they produce a mild vibration under the tyres, enough to encourage drivers to ease off the accelerator without the abrupt jolt of a speed breaker, which is considered unsafe on high-speed highways. The technique is widely used in other countries but has rarely been seen on Indian national highways, particularly in wildlife zones.Speed, conservation scientists have long argued, is the variable that determines whether an animal crossing a road is seen in time, and whether a driver has the distance needed to stop or swerve. Underpasses and fencing decide where animals cross; speed decides what happens when something goes wrong. On NH-45, the red-marked stretch is meant to slow vehicles gradually, well before they reach the points where animals are most likely to emerge.Below the road, the more conventional work has been done. Along the forest section, 25 wildlife underpasses have been built, their locations chosen on the basis of observed animal movement rather than engineering convenience. Continuous iron fencing runs on both sides of the highway, guiding animals towards these openings and preventing them from wandering onto the carriageway at random. Similar structures elsewhere in the country, including near Pench, have shown that when crossings align with natural routes, animals do use them, from ungulates to large carnivores.Former IFS officer and wildlife expert Jagdish Chandra said the red-road concept could make a significant difference. “There will be positive results. This is the first such project implemented in the country,” he said.

Speculation was rife after reports claimed that Ranveer Singh had walked out of Farhan Akhtar’s ambitious action franchise ‘Don 3’, with many suggesting that the actor’s decision came on the back of the success of ‘Dhurandhar’. However, a fresh update has now dismissed these rumours, stating that the claims are far from accurate. According to a new report, “Ranveer Singh hasn’t walked out of Don 3 like the rumour mills claim.”Quoting a source, India Today reported that the circumstances around the film are being widely misunderstood. The source revealed, “It’s actually an entirely different story. To start with, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar offered him Don 3 after he had delivered three colossal flops. They stood by him even after Sanjay Leela Bhansali shelved Baiju Bawra because he was considered not saleable at the time.”

The source further told the portal while talking about the scale of the project, “Don 3 is the hottest franchise, and Ranveer was stepping into the legendary shoes of not just Shah Rukh Khan, but also Amitabh Bachchan. It is a dream role for any actor.” Speaking about Farhan Akhtar’s faith in Ranveer, the source noted, “Farhan was the only filmmaker who put his trust in Ranveer when others had backed out. This was also at a time when Dhurandhar hadn’t even released.”The report goes on to clarify that Ranveer’s reported exit has no connection to the box-office success of ‘Dhurandhar’. Instead, it was the result of creative disagreements with the makers. The source added that the decision stemmed from differences over demands and it was not a voluntary or celebratory exit.So far, neither Ranveer Singh nor the makers of ‘Don 3’ have issued an official statement. Nevertheless, the development marks another major shift for the film, which has already undergone casting changes. Earlier, Kiara Advani exited the project following her pregnancy and the birth of her child, after which Kriti Sanon was reportedly roped in.Amidst ‘Dhurandhar’ success, Ranveer was recently spotted with wife Deepika Padukone at Mumbai airport late on Monday night. The couple, dressed in coordinated black outfits, were seen holding hands, smiling, and waving at the paparazzi as they headed out for a vacation. Ranveer and Deepika became parents to a baby girl, Dua in September last year.

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR/HYDERABAD: He vanished at will – sometimes robed as a swamiji, stick in hand, towel over his shoulder – shedding names as easily as trails. On Thursday, bullets caught up with Maoist commander Paka Hanumanthu, better known as Ganesh Uike, with a collective bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, who refused to surrender and died in a security operation in Odisha.The 69-year-old CPI (Maoist) central committee member – the Odisha in-charge of the banned outfit and a veteran of more than four decades underground – was among four Maoists killed before dawn in Kandhamal district, a hilly, forested region in southern Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh. His death raised the number of rebels killed in Kandhamal to six over the past 24 hours.

Security agencies linked Ganesh to several major Maoist operations, most notably the May 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, where a convoy of Congress functionaries was attacked, killing at least 27 on the spot and wounding 34. That episode kept him high on most-wanted lists across Maoist-affected states.Thursday’s operation followed the Dec 22 surrender of 22 Maoists from Chhattisgarh in Malkangiri district in southern Odisha. Police said credible intelligence from the surrendered cadres helped track Ganesh’s movements. Ganesh killing a turning point: ShahTwo Maoists, including an area committee member, were killed Wednesday. Ganesh fell hours later, becoming the first Maoist commander and central committee member neutralised in Odisha. Kandhamal SP Harish BC said security forces found four bodies — two men and two women — all in uniform, along with two INSAS rifles and a .303 rifle. “Ganesh’s identity has been verified. Identities of the other three cadres are being established,” he said.Home minister Amit Shah called the operation a turning point. “A significant milestone towards Naxal-free Bharat,” his office said in a post. “We are resolved to eliminate Naxalism before the 31st of March 2026.” Shah has set March 2026 as the nationwide deadline to end Maoist insurgency and said Odisha is on the verge of becoming free of left-wing extremism.Police sources said Ganesh showed no signs of surrender. In recent months, he had publicly criticised central committee colleague Chandranna for surrendering to Telangana police & insisted the movement would continue despite setbacks. Ganesh carried bounties of Rs 40 lakh in Chhattisgarh and Rs 25 lakh each in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.Born in Pullemla village of Nalgonda district in Telangana, Ganesh — known by aliases Rupa, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamu, Chamru and Somudu — studied in Nalgonda, left his BSc unfinished, and went underground in 1982 amid violent campus politics. He later emerged as an organiser and commander in West Bastar, a dense forest belt in southern Chhattisgarh, serving as secretary and in-charge of the divisional committee and overseeing the south sub-zonal bureau.

MI Cape Town will go head-to-head against the Durban Super Giants in the first match of the SA20. This article provides details about MI Cape Town’s Playing 11 vs Durban Super Giants for the first match of the tournament.

MI Cape Town Playing XI vs Durban Super Giants- SA20 2025-26, Match 1

Openers: Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks

MI Cape Town would hope for a winning start to the new season of the SA20 in a bid to defend their title, which they won after defeating the two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the last edition.

MI Cape Town will take on Durban Super Giants, who will be captained by Aiden Markram, and will also eye a positive start to the tournament.

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The Rashid Khan-led MI Cape Town would bank on its openers to get the team off to a good start and put the opposition bowlers under pressure courtesy of an attacking style of play in the first six overs.

The opening pair of Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks would look to fulfill their role both in partnership and as individual batters by getting runs under their belt to build confidence for the matches to come ahead in the competition.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Dwaine Pretorius, Rashid Khan (c)

The openers will be followed by a middle order that has a good mix of youth and experience with the presence of batters like Nicholas Pooran, Rassie van der Dussen, George Linde, and Corbin Bosch.

An interesting thing about MICT’s squad is that it has a lot of all-rounders, which brings depth and balance to a team, especially in the T20 format of the game.

Talking about all-rounders other than the two names mentioned above in the form of George Lunde and Corbin Bosch, the defending champions also have at their disposal their title-winning captain, Rashid Khan, and Dwaine Pretorius.

Having said that, despite the depth in MICT’s batting order, the responsibility will be on the team’s top five batters to score the majority of the runs for them and not depend on the lower middle order to get the job done in the upcoming match.

Bowlers: Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult

As far as the bowling attack of MICT is concerned, it is made up of names like Rashid Khan, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, and Trent Boult, all of whom have a rich vein of experience in playing T20 cricket and will bring all of it to good use.

Along with them, the winner of the third edition of the league also has three all-rounders in the form of George Linde, Corbin Bosch, and Dwaine Pretorius, at their disposal taking the tally of available bowling options to seven.

The availability of seven bowling options is a luxury for any captain in this format of the game, as it provides much-needed flexibility to the team, and the skipper can make changes to the bowling according to the situation of the game.