Mumbai: Bombay high court on Thursday sought a status update and probable timeline in two weeks from Maharashtra govt over its March 18 decision to expand a district hospital from 100 to 300 beds in the tribal belt of Dharni in Melghat region of Amravati district.“We find the vexed question dealt with by this court for the last two decades is over extending medical facilities in Melghat region,” said a division bench of Justices R V Ghuge and Abhay Mantri. Expressing anguish at the unabated death of tribal children in Melghat and Dharni, the bench added: “Babies are dying. They are dying for want of food and crucial medical attention… their ribs and bones can be seen.”Jugalkishor Gilda, counsel for the petitioners, said the state is spending thousands of crores for the Laadki Bahin scheme for those ‘sitting at home’, while babies and adults are dying due to malnutrition. He informed the HC that “not one brick has yet been laid for the 300-bed hospital”.The bench said the fact that child and maternal deaths continue even 25 years after HC orders “speaks louder than words”. “It is a tragedy that this court has to hear submissions on deaths occurring due to malnutrition, lack of medication and nutrition, lack of appropriate medical support to malnourished patients, pregnant women and lactating mothers,” said Justice Ghuge, while dictating the order in the second round of the public interest litigation (PIL) that began in 2007 to tackle the malnutrition death crisis in Melghat and other tribal areas of Amravati. The HC said the PIL has highlighted Melghat in the first batch of petitions too since 1993.Gilda said the state earlier too, decades ago, made declarations to expand its hospitals in tribal areas. The HC said, “Files moved slowly from department to department, approvals sought were stuck, lack of funds is a major issue with govt.”The HC also recorded Gilda’s submission that the gram panchayat has no funds to pay around Rs 30 crore of electricity dues for Melghat and Rs 148 crore across Amravati tribal regions, which would lead to water supply being cut off on March 31 as pumps will no longer function.On advocate Uday Warunjikar’s request, the HC heard at length submissions and suggestions from Dr Ashish Satav of Mahan Trust, who works extensively in remote interiors of Melghat to treat malnourished infants. Dr Satav said local youth should be trained as counsellors and therapeutic nutritional needs should be met by the state.State additional government pleader Bhupesh Samant said 121 blood bags since November 2024 were sent to the Mahan trust hospital for the trial area as per the GR requirement and availability with cost of testing taken from private hospital, while it was free for govt hospitals. But Dr Satav said the trust had to pay for the blood bags while treating children for free.

Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandavas in the Indian epic The Mahabharata, lived an almost sin-free life. After the battle, with old age approaching, he, along with his brothers, set off for heaven. En route, all others shuffled off their mortal coil except the eldest brother and one dog who accompanied him on the journey. At the gates of swarga, Indra, the king of gods, told him he could enter, but he would have to leave his stray companion behind. Yudhisthira, also called Dharmaputra, refused to abandon his canine companion. It turned out to be a test. The dog was Dharma (Yama), testing Yudhisthira’s moral resolve.The dog story is fascinating because it recalls the only time in life when the eldest Pandava prince was found morally wanting. That was on the battlefield, when he told a white lie by omission to Dronacharya: “Ashwatthama hata iti… narova kunjarova.” (Ashwatthama is dead… whether man or elephant, I do not know.) The smallest of lies changed the tide of battle and, as Dronacharya laid down his arms, Dhrishtadyumna, son of Drupad and brother of Draupadi, slew the warrior teacher. Much like Yudhisthira’s white lie, the tale of the seven dogs returning home — a viral video the internet fell in love with — is only partially true. The video is not AI; it is not fake, but the narrative is.The original video had millions of views at the time of writing. For those living under a rock, the clip shows a band of canine misfits — a golden retriever, an injured German shepherd, and a tiny corgi leading the line.According to a report in CNN, the original clip is authentic. There really are seven dogs wandering down the side of a highway in northeastern Jilin province. But they are not ‘homeward bound’.What the internet saw was a story. What the camera captured was behaviour.The dogs were not escaping anything. They were not marching towards anything. They belonged to nearby villagers. The German shepherd was in heat, which is why the others had gathered and followed. In villages, dogs wander. They drift. They return.There is no screenplay in that.Which is precisely why one was written.The moment the video left its original context, it entered a different economy. Not of facts, but of feeling. A corgi walking slightly ahead becomes leadership. A dog looking back becomes care. A cluster becomes loyalty. Meaning is not derived. It is assigned.And once assigned, it spreads.The first caption does not need to be entirely wrong. It only needs to be evocative. From there, the internet does the rest. Someone adds detail. Someone else adds motive. Soon there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The dogs have escaped danger. They are protecting each other. They are on a journey home.The video has not changed, but the story has.This is how misinformation now travels. It does not arrive as a finished lie. It accumulates as a preferred interpretation. Each retelling smooths out ambiguity, sharpens intent, and removes the parts that feel inconveniently ordinary. By the time the story stabilises, it no longer feels like an embellishment. It feels like memory.And then comes the second wave. AI posters. Trailers. Imagined reunions. The internet does not just tell the story. It begins to produce it. A few seconds of footage become a universe that never existed.At that point, correction becomes irrelevant. Truth isn’t competing with a lie, just a version of it that sounds better.And perhaps that’s the irony, as Yudhisthira understood: a statement can be true and still mislead. Truth does not reside only in words. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and, in our age of super-fast information, truth rests on the availability heuristic of the viewer.

The wait is almost over. IPL 2026 is set to get underway on March 28, and the excitement building around this edition is hard to miss. With ten teams, 84 matches, and a packed schedule spread across two phases, it promises to be the biggest IPL yet. Among the ten franchises gearing up for another shot at glory, Mumbai Indians (MI) always attract a special kind of attention. The five-time champions have not lifted the trophy since 2020, and with a squad packed full of stars, there is widespread belief that this could finally be their year again.

MI will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign at home against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium, and the buzz around their preparations has been impossible to ignore. However, not everyone is ready to give them a clean bill of health just yet. One legendary voice from the world of cricket has flagged a concern and it is one that MI fans would do well to pay attention to.

AB de Villiers names the weak link in MI bowling lineup

Speaking on his YouTube channel ahead of IPL 2026, former South African batting great AB de Villiers pointed to left-arm pacer Trent Boult as his biggest worry for Mumbai Indians. De Villiers drew a comparison with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s decline in pace, saying Boult has lost a yard and is not as threatening as he was during his peak years between 2018 and 2020. He also noted that Boult has been leaking more runs of late, and warned that MI could be carrying a false sense of security when it comes to their bowling depth, adding that opposition batters may well identify this as an area to target.

It is a pointed observation from someone who understands the game at the highest level. The concern is not without merit either. While Boult was MI’s leading wicket-taker last season with 22 wickets, he conceded runs at an economy rate of almost nine, which in T20 cricket is a number that can hurt a team badly, especially in the middle overs and death.

Boult holds the record for the most wickets in the opening over of an IPL innings with 31, and his left-arm angle and ability to swing the new ball have long made him one of the most dangerous powerplay bowlers in the competition. But de Villiers’ point is that the version of Boult who was truly unplayable at the top of the innings is no longer quite the same threat he once was. If batters walk in with a game plan against him, that partnership with Jasprit Bumrah could look more vulnerable than it appears on paper.

“The one worry for me is Trent Boult. It’s similar to a Bhuvi situation, where he has lost a yard. He is not as spicy as he was from 2018 to 2020. He seems to be more expensive over the last while. MI probably feel they have a lot of insurance there, but maybe it’s a false sense of security. It could be an area some of the opposition batters will target,” said De Villiers.

Also READ: Wasim Jaffer outlines his Mumbai Indians playing XII prediction for IPL 2026

Expectations high from the five-time champions

Despite the concern over Boult, Mumbai Indians on the whole look formidable heading into IPL 2026. Former India opener Abhinav Mukund described MI as a dominant force on paper, highlighting the number of in-form players in the squad and pointing to the addition of Quinton de Kock as a particularly strong move. He noted that the squad is so packed that even a player of Shardul Thakur’s quality may struggle to find a place in the playing eleven, which tells you everything about the depth available.

The batting lineup featuring Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and de Kock is among the most star-studded in the competition. If Bumrah is fully fit and fires alongside Boult and Deepak Chahar, MI have the firepower to go all the way. But de Villiers’ warning serves as a timely reminder on paper is one thing, and what actually happens out in the middle is another.

For a team that has not won the title in five years, the hunger is clearly there. Whether the bowling holds up over a long tournament will be one of the most interesting subplots of IPL 2026.

Also READ: Former CSK star picks his ideal playing XI of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2026

A view of the Olympic rings (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott)

NEW DELHI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided that transgender women will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s events at the Olympics, starting from the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The move brings in a stricter eligibility rule, stating that only biological females can take part, with a one-time mandatory gene test to confirm this.The IOC said the change is meant to ensure fair competition. “Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event… is now limited to biological females,” the body stated. The policy, which is not retroactive and won’t affect grassroots sports, aims to “protect fairness, safety and integrity in the female category”.IOC president Kirsty Coventry backed the decision, saying, “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat… it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category.”The IOC also pointed to research suggesting that being born male can give lasting physical advantages, especially in strength, endurance and power-based sports. A gene test checking for the SRY gene has been described as “the most accurate and least intrusive method currently available”.The new rules will also affect some athletes with differences in sex development (DSD), such as runner Caster Semenya. The IOC wants a clear, unified policy instead of leaving decisions to individual sports bodies, many of which had already imposed similar restrictions.The decision comes amid growing global debate and follows a US executive order pushing for stricter rules in women’s sports. While the IOC says the policy ensures fairness, it is expected to face criticism from human rights groups and activists.

US President Donald Trump during the first cabinet meeting at the White House since the start of the conflict

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran was “begging” for a deal to end the war, while warning of more strikes if Tehran did not abandon its nuclear ambitions.Speaking during the first cabinet meeting at the White House since the start of the conflict, Trump said Iran was now trying to negotiate after weeks of fighting.“They are begging to make a deal, not me. They’re begging to make a deal,” Trump said while describing them as “lousy fighters” but “great negotiators.” But he also suggested the window for diplomacy may be closing and indicated Washington may no longer be willing to move forward with an agreement. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that,” he said of the prospects for a deal. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that.”At the same time, Trump warned Iran to change course or face more military action.“They now have the chance, that is Iran, ‌to permanently ⁠abandon their ⁠nuclear ambitions and to join a new path forward,” Trump said. “We’ll see if they want to do it. If they don’t, we’re their worst nightmare. In the meantime, we’ll ⁠just keep ‌blowing them away.”Trump also said US military operations against Iran are “extremely” ahead of schedule, citing an original timeframe of four to six weeks for the war that began nearly a month ago.“We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. Twenty-six days in we’re extremely, really, a lot ahead of schedule,” said Trump.Earlier in the day, Trump also warned Tehran on social media to “get serious soon” about negotiating an end to the war. The post came a day after he said a deal was near, despite Tehran’s dismissal of his 15-point ceasefire plan.On Thursday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Washington’s proposal to end nearly four weeks of fighting was “one-sided and unfair,” though diplomacy was continuing.Meanwhile, the United States was preparing for the arrival of thousands of troops that could potentially be used on the ground in Iran.The war has continued to exact a heavy toll across the region. The death toll has risen to more than 1,900 people in Iran and nearly 1,100 in Lebanon, with dozens more killed in Israel and elsewhere in the region. Thirteen US military members have also died, while millions of people in Iran and Lebanon have been displaced.

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The escalation of the Middle East conflict could push US inflation to 4.2% this year–the highest among G7 economies– while also slowing global growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said, underlining the widening economic costs of the US-Israel war with Iran, the Financial Times reported.In its interim economic outlook, the Paris-based body cautioned that rising oil and gas prices triggered by disruptions to energy exports are likely to increase inflation across major economies and create “significant downside risks” to global expansion if the conflict intensifies.The OECD expects US inflation to climb sharply from 2.6% in 2025, with countries such as China, South Korea and India also facing stronger price pressures due to the energy shock. “The breadth and duration of the conflict are very uncertain, but a prolonged period of higher energy prices will add markedly to business costs and raise consumer price inflation, with adverse consequences for growth,” it said.The report projected that higher living costs could weigh on US household spending and slow economic momentum. US growth is forecast to ease to 2% this year and further to 1.7% in 2027.Globally, economic activity is also expected to moderate. The OECD said world GDP growth could slow from 3.3% last year to 2.9% in 2026, before recovering slightly to 3% in 2027.Earlier in the year, the global outlook had appeared more resilient, supported by strong investment in artificial intelligence and buoyant equity markets. However, the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February has pushed up energy prices and triggered ripple effects across commodities including metals and fertilisers.The organisation noted that the resilience of the global economy is now being tested, particularly because of the strategic role of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles about one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade and one-fifth of liquefied natural gas shipments.Supply-chain risks have also increased. Gulf countries account for 34% of global urea exports and roughly half of sulphur exports, while the Middle East produces more than one-third of global helium and two-thirds of bromine, both vital for industrial uses including semiconductor manufacturing.“A prolonged period of disruption could also result in the emergence of significant energy shortages that would lower growth further,” the OECD warned.The outlook indicates that earlier improvements in global growth projections have been reversed. Indicators at the start of the year had pointed to a 0.3 percentage point upward revision in global GDP forecasts, but the conflict has effectively erased that boost.Inflation projections have also been revised higher. The OECD now expects headline inflation in the G20 to reach 4% in 2026, an increase of 1.2 percentage points compared with its December forecast, and 2.7% in the following year.Growth prospects in Europe remain subdued, with the eurozone economy projected to expand by 0.8% this year before improving to 1.2% next year.In the US, the organisation said weakening household demand could reduce growth momentum heading into 2026. Despite the inflation risks, it expects the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged, while the European Central Bank may implement a single rate increase.Members of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) still anticipate rate cuts this year, although Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell has acknowledged that forecasts have become more uncertain because of geopolitical tensions.The FOMC recently raised its projections slightly, saying headline and core personal consumption expenditures inflation may end the year at 2.7%, compared with earlier estimates of 2.4% and 2.5%. It also lifted its US growth forecast for this year to 2.4% from 2.3%, citing productivity gains.The OECD’s inflation outlook is significantly higher than that of the Federal Reserve and many private forecasters, reflecting expectations of a more persistent energy price shock and continued effects from earlier US tariff increases. It also suggested that the US economy may already be operating under capacity constraints linked to lower immigration.In a downside scenario where oil prices average around $135 per barrel in the second quarter, the OECD estimates global output could be 0.5 percentage points lower than its baseline forecast, while consumer prices could be nearly 1 percentage point higher.While some countries are considering emergency support for households facing higher energy bills, the OECD said such measures should be “well-targeted” towards the most vulnerable households and financially viable firms.

With the excitement building around the upcoming Indian Premier League season, the tournament is already sparking conversations about team combinations and player form. Among the franchises under the spotlight, Punjab Kings will be hoping to finally turn promise into consistent performances.

A major part of their plans revolves around their pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh, who has emerged as one of India’s most dependable T20 bowlers in recent years. Known for his composure in pressure situations and ability to strike early, the left-arm seamer carries significant expectations heading into the new season.

As PBKS aim to build a strong campaign, Arshdeep’s role with the new ball and in the death overs will be crucial. Fans and experts alike are eager to see whether he can maintain his consistency and take another leap in performance during IPL 2026.

Irfan Pathan highlights area of concern in Arshdeep Singh’s bowling

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan recently shared his thoughts on Arshdeep’s game, pointing out a specific area that needs improvement. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan acknowledged the pacer’s wicket-taking ability but stressed that his effectiveness with the new ball has dipped slightly in recent times. According to Pathan, Arshdeep has not been able to consistently bring the inswinger into play during the early overs—a variation that once made him particularly dangerous. The lack of movement with the new ball, he suggested, could reduce the bowler’s impact during the powerplay phase, where early breakthroughs are vital.

“Arshdeep, who was your highest wicket-taker, has been consistently taking wickets. One thing he will definitely need to focus on is how he bowls with the new ball. Because over the past year, or slightly less than a year, from what I have observed, he hasn’t been bowling much inswing with the new ball,” said Pathan.

Pathan also drew attention to a noticeable rise in Arshdeep’s economy rate over the past year. He explained that while the pacer continues to pick up wickets, controlling the flow of runs will be equally important, especially in a high-scoring format like the IPL. The former cricketer’s remarks underline the fine margins that separate good bowlers from great ones in T20 cricket. For Arshdeep, refining his new-ball skills and maintaining discipline with line and length could be the difference-maker in IPL 2026.

“His statistics, compared to before and after the Asia Cup, have slightly declined in terms of new ball bowling. He will need to pay attention to that and also keep an eye on his economy rate,” added Pathan.

Also READ: SWOT analysis of Punjab Kings: PBKS’ report card ahead of IPL 2026

Impressive numbers underline Arshdeep’s impact

Despite the concerns raised, Arshdeep’s overall record remains highly impressive. He played a vital role in India’s triumph at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, finishing as one of the leading wicket-takers with 17 scalps while maintaining an excellent economy rate. In the powerplay phase of T20 cricket, Arshdeep has consistently delivered breakthroughs. He has taken 90 wickets in that phase across T20s, placing him among the most effective Indian bowlers early in the innings, just behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar in terms of wickets.

His contributions for Punjab have been equally significant. Since making his debut in 2019, Arshdeep has grown into the franchise’s leading wicket-taker, picking up 97 wickets in 87 matches. He now stands on the brink of another milestone, needing just three more wickets to become the fourth Indian left-arm seamer to reach 100 IPL wickets. Expectations will be high from the star pacer in the upcoming season of the cash-rich league.

Also READ: Irfan Pathan names Punjab Kings’ playing XI for IPL 2026