NEW DELHI: Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu has found herself stranded in Dubai for over eight hours after missile-related disturbances in Gulf airspace led to an indefinite suspension of flights across the region.Sindhu was on her way to Birmingham to compete at the prestigious All England Open, set to begin next Tuesday, with Dubai scheduled as a transit stop. The unexpected halt in airport operations has now raised serious concerns over whether she will reach England in time for the tournament.

Providing an update on Sunday morning, Sindhu wrote: “The ordeal continues to unfold and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour.”She went on to describe a particularly alarming moment at the airport. “A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport. My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us,” Sindhu said.Reassuring fans about her safety, she added: “We are all safe now and have been moved to a more secure place, thanks to the tireless efforts of the staff at Dubai Airport and the Dubai authorities. A special thanks as well to the Indian High Commission in Dubai for their incredible support and constant assistance in helping keep us safe,” she further said.“For now, we are trying to get some rest and hold on to hope as we wait for things to settle,” she said.This marked her second public update since the disruption began.On Saturday, Sindhu had posted a video from a packed airport, accompanied by the caption: “All flights suspended until further notice.”Later, she shared that she was safe but unable to leave with her team, noting how rapidly the tensions had escalated and calling it “terrifying”.“It’s hard to process what’s unfolding right now. Hearing the interceptions overhead and seeing how quickly everything has escalated is honestly terrifying,” Sindhu wrote on ‘X’.Reflecting on the situation, she added: “So many disturbing videos are coming to light, and this is sadly the reality of what is happening. Dubai is a city I deeply love, a place that has always felt safe and full of life, which makes this moment even harder to comprehend.“To everyone who has been messaging and checking in, thank you, it truly means a lot. I am safe right now, stuck here with my team, and we are doing okay as the situation around the war with Iran continues to evolve,” she added.Sindhu also painted a picture of the tense atmosphere inside the airport.“Airports are chaotic, with many families stranded and waiting, all of us just hoping we get past this soon. I’m sure the authorities are doing everything in their power, and like everyone here, we’re holding on to patience and hope,” she wrote.Summing up her feelings amid the uncertainty, she concluded: “Moments like these remind you how fragile normal life really is. Praying for safety and peace for everyone affected.”

NEW DELHI: In an effort to transform India’s punitive prison system into reformative centres, Supreme Court has mandated radical reforms and ruled that women inmates, like male prisoners, have a fundamental right to be lodged in open correctional institutions (OCIs), which must change character from labour camps to vocational training centres and allow inmates’ to have regular access to their families.Penning a 138-page magnum opus of a judgment on what ails the Indian prison system and the judicially devised antidotes, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta appointed former SC judge S R Bhat as chairperson of a high powered committee with a honorarium of Rs 10 lakh per month along with other facilities to frame within six months a nationally consistent common minimum standards for “Reforms and Governance of Open Correctional Institutions”. It asked states, which do not have open jails, to establish these institutions and mandated setting up of multi-layered monitoring systems to ensure that its series of directions are scrupulously complied with in a time bound manner. It posted the next hearing on the matter on Sep 1. It directed state committees to file quarterly reports on implementation of SC directed reforms in open prisons before the jurisdictional HCs, which in turn will file yearly reports before SC every March 31.Writing the judgment for the bench, Justice Mehta said, “Exclusion of women from OCIs, or failure to transfer them despite being eligible for transfer from closed prisons to OCIs, amounts to blatant gender discrimination, violative of Articles 14 and 15(1) of the Constitution, and also infringes upon their right to live with dignity as guaranteed under Article 21.”He said, “Denial of access to OCIs deprives women prisoners of equal opportunity for rehabilitation and cannot be sustained in a constitutional order committed to equality, dignity and the transformative promise of justice. Immediate and effective corrective measures are, therefore, imperative in this regard.”The bench frowned at the long wait for a person lodged in closed jails – varying between 4 to 21 years in different states – to become eligible for shifting to an open jail.

AHMEDABAD: Amid intensifying geopolitical conflicts and trade tensions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch on Saturday for India as a preferred investment destination. “India is capable, India is competitive, and India is committed. Today, India has only one message for investors worldwide: India is ready, India is reliable, and India will deliver,” Modi said.

Speaking after inaugurating US-based chip giant Micron Technology’s ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging) plant at Sanand, the first such facility in the country, Modi said Gujarat would provide the lifestyle and social life that international companies desire.“A small town (Sanand) suddenly found its place on the global map. Development and systems are needed; perhaps even today you may have thoughts like, ‘It would be nice if this were there, it would be nice if that were there.’ I assure you, friends, the lifestyle you desire, the social life you desire, the way you live your life, Gujarat will create that too. We will not let you feel anything is lacking.” He said after establishing itself as a software powerhouse, the country is “firmly establishing its identity” in the hardware sector too. The PM said that until 10-11 years ago, discussions about data and chips in India were confined to very close circles, and these often revolved only around IT services.Speaking about the speed of project approvals, he said, “Today’s India is moving forward with this approach — from policy to production. It is visible. Remember, the MoU for this facility was signed in June 2023. Subsequently, the groundbreaking for this facility took place in Sept 2023 in Sanand. In Feb 2024, machines began to be installed in the pilot facility, and today, in Feb 2025, commercial production has begun at this facility. Anyone who follows this sector can understand the meaning of this speed.”Referring to the start of commercial production at Micron’s ATMP facility, he said it would strengthen India’s role in the global technology value chain. The ATMP facility will manufacture SSD (solid state drive) storage devices as well as RAM-type DRAM and NAND products, a govt release said. The company has invested Rs 22,516 crore in its Sanand plant. “The AI Summit introduced the world to India’s vision. This year is yet another proof of India’s commitment to technology leadership. Today, India is rapidly becoming a part of the global semiconductor value chain,” he said. “This is the century of the AI revolution, and semiconductors are the bridge to this change. If oil was the regulator of the last century, the microchip will be the regulator of this century. India decided to move forward rapidly in the semiconductor sector,” the PM said.India is rapidly becoming an integral part of the global semiconductor value chain, and the entire world wants to secure the supply chains for both these technologies, he said. “The two largest democracies — India and the US — are continuously striving for this,” the PM said, adding their collective effort will also make the global supply chain of critical minerals more secure and reliable.

AJMER: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sharpened his election-season attack on Congress, accusing it of divisive politics over its youth wing’s ‘shirtless protest’ at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.Addressing a rally in Ajmer, Modi said Congress leaves no “opportunity to malign India”, charging that it had abandoned national interest. “Kabhi Congress INC yaani Indian National Congress thi… aaj wo INC ke bajay MMC ban gayi hai (INC no longer exists in that form. Today, it has become MMC – Muslim League Maoist Congress),” he said.

“History is witness that Muslim League hated India and divided the nation. Maoists too hate India’s prosperity, our Constitution and our successful democracy. They attack from hiding, and Congress also enters anywhere to defame the nation. The country will never forgive such actions of Congress,” he said.He said the Feb 20 protest by Youth Congress at the summit was staged to embarrass India before foreign guests. “When the world speaks well of India, every Indian feels proud. But Congress tried to create drama and defame the country before foreign dignitaries,” he said.Modi accused the party of lashing out after electoral losses: “Congress has been continuously losing (elections) across the country, and due to its anger, it is taking revenge by tarnishing India’s image.”Turning to national security, Modi said Congress had a record of weakening the armed forces, alleging years of shortages and delays, including ‘One Rank, One Pension’, and defence scams during its tenures. “Defaming the country and weakening the armed forces has been an old habit of the party. It had left our soldiers longing for weapons and uniforms,” he said.Modi contrasted that with the past 11 years, saying, India’s forces had struck “on every front”, citing surgical strikes and Operation Sindoor. “Our Army has been victorious in every mission and every battlefield… they have proven their bravery. But even in these matters, Congress chose to promote the lies of the enemies,” he said, adding, “Congress opposes everything that is good for the country and benefits the people of India. This is why the nation is teaching them a lesson.” On Rajasthan front, Modi attacked Congress’s past rule over alleged corruption, paper leaks and farmer distress.,

Source: US Central Command (X)

Operation Epic Fury, the coordinated American strikes on Iran orchestrated by Donald Trump, killed Tehran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump’s weekend military action in the Middle East involved a combination of missiles, stealth fighters and suicide drones targeting Iran’s high-profile military projects, while also relying on advanced air defences to protect US military bases across the region.Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israel also partnered with the United States, deploying its full military muscle in the high-profile coordinated attacks against Khamenei-led Iran, with its Operation Lion’s Roar.The US secretary of war Pete Hegseth described the attack as “the most lethal, most complex, and most-precision aerial operation in history.”The United States on Saturday deployed a range of military assets against Iranian targets, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets and, for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modelled after Iranian designs.US Central Command released photographs showing Tomahawk missiles, F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets, along with details of the strikes carried out under Operation Epic Fury.According to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military developments, Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from American warships, while ground forces fired rockets using the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).American forces also deployed drones and other undisclosed standoff weapons designed to strike targets from long range, beyond the reach of enemy air defences. The coordinated attacks began Saturday morning and involved US military assets operating from land, sea and air.

Drones

The US military said it used suicide drones during the strikes, which appeared similar to the new LUCAS Low Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System made by Spektreworks, a company based in Phoenix Arizona. Photos released by the Pentagon showed drones that looked identical to the LUCAS system. The company did not respond to requests for comment.In a first for the US Central Command, the military used one way attack drones modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, the Pentagon said. These kamikaze drones are relatively cheap and are designed to be produced in large numbers by different manufacturers.Each LUCAS drone costs around 35000 dollars. Drones have become an increasingly important part of modern warfare, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed the US and other countries to adopt a strategy known as “affordable mass” — using large numbers of relatively low cost weapons.

Tomahawk

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long range cruise missile usually launched from ships or submarines to hit targets far away. The precision guided missile can strike targets from about 1000 miles or 1600 kilometers away, even in heavily defended airspace.The missile is about 20 feet long with a wingspan of 8.5 feet and weighs around 3330 pounds. It is produced by Raytheon, a unit of RTX. These missiles are not nuclear armed and can be launched from both land and sea.According to Pentagon budget data, the US plans to buy 57 Tomahawk missiles in 2026. Each missile costs about 1.3 million dollars. The Pentagon is also spending millions of dollars to upgrade the missile’s guidance systems and other features.A recent agreement between Raytheon and the Pentagon aims to increase Tomahawk missile production to about 1000 units every year. The missile has already been tested with GPS guidance and used in real operations, including when the US and UK navies fired Tomahawk missiles at Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.

Fighter jets

US Central Command released photos and videos showing F A 18 and F 35 fighter jets being used in the strikes on Iran.The F 35 is a fifth generation stealth fighter designed to avoid radar detection while carrying precision guided weapons. The US has deployed F 35 jets widely across the Middle East.The F A 18, made by Boeing, is a multi role fighter aircraft that can carry out both air to air and air to ground missions. It can carry a wide range of bombs and missiles.F 35 jets can also carry special missiles designed to locate and destroy enemy radar systems, effectively blinding air defence networks. These jets are also used by the Israeli Air Force.The US has recently increased its military presence in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean as Donald Trump indicated the possibility of another round of strikes. The deployment includes more than a dozen warships, among them two aircraft carriers, along with hundreds of fighter jets and support aircraft.

New Delhi: For many people, ageing brings small lapses in memory. A forgotten name, a misplaced key. For others, memory loss becomes something more serious. Yet, some in their 80s remain as sharp as they were decades earlier.A paper published in the journal, ‘Nature’, suggests one reason for this may lie deep inside the brain’s memory centre – in its ability to continue producing new cells even late in life. The study provides strong evidence that the adult human brain continues to generate new neurons in the hippocampus, the region crucial for learning and memory, though this process is disrupted by Alzheimer’s disease.

Using advanced single-cell genetic techniques, researchers analysed nearly 3,56,000 cells from postmortem hippocampus samples across age groups – from young adults to healthy elderly individuals, early Alzheimer’s cases, diagnosed patients and ‘SuperAgers’ – identifying neural stem cells and immature neurons and tracing a clear pathway from stem cell to mature neuron.Age alone did not shut down this process. Healthy older adults still showed neuron formation. But in Alzheimer’s, immature neurons were significantly fewer. Stem cells remained, yet their development into functioning neurons appeared impaired.Dr Manjari Tripathi, head of neurology at AIIMS, said this reflected neuronal plasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt and renew itself even in adulthood. According to her, this can be strengthened through exercise, balanced diet, adequate sleep, reduced stress, strong social networks and control of cardiovascular risks. Sleep, in particular, is crucial for memory consolidation and neuronal sprouting. She noted that many ‘SuperAgers’ stayed mentally active and socially engaged.Researchers detected early molecular changes in individuals with Alzheimer’s-related pathology but no symptoms, suggesting the disruption in renewal may begin years before memory decline appears.Dr Sudhir Kumar, neurologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, said adult neurogenesis occurred at a slower pace than in childhood but remain-ed functionally vital. New neurons are adaptable and help distinguish similar memories. He added if this regenerative capacity declined early in Alzheimer’s, future diagnostics may detect it before symptoms appeared. Treatment, he suggested, should focus not only on clearing toxic proteins like amyloid but also on stren-gthening the brain’s repair systems through targeted the-rapies and lifestyle measures.