NEW DELHI: Bihar minority affairs minister Zama Khan on Tuesday defended Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a row erupted over an incident in which he was seen removing the hijab of a woman doctor during a public function.Addressing the issue, Khan said, “The CM is, perhaps, older than the father of the woman in question. I have a daughter, and I could sense the fatherly affection he had expressed.”The incident took place on Monday at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat during a programme where appointment letters were distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. More than 1,000 doctors were appointed at the event.

Nusrat Parveen, one of the appointees, stepped forward to receive her appointment letter directly from Kumar. While standing on a raised platform, the Chief Minister noticed Parveen’s veil, remarked, “what is this?” and pulled it down, revealing her face.Rejecting the criticism, Khan said, “Only recently has the NDA secured a landslide victory in assembly polls under his leadership. Those trying to create a scandal have a very twisted mindset.”He further said the Chief Minister’s actions were being wrongly interpreted. “The CM had simply tried to highlight the fact that girls of the minority community, too, are making progress in Bihar. But the mudslingers are causing embarrassment to the poor girl, too,” Khan said.The episode triggered sharp political reactions, with Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, also facing allegations questioning his mental fitness to govern the state.The Congress party strongly attacked the Chief Minister over what it termed a “disgusting act” and demanded his immediate resignation. In a statement, the party said, “If a person occupying the highest post in the state behaves in such a disgraceful manner in public, one can only imagine how safe women are in the state.”The programme involved the distribution of appointment letters to 1,283 AYUSH doctors, including 685 Ayurvedic, 393 Homeopathic and 205 Unani practitioners. According to officials, the newly appointed doctors will be posted at various health institutions under AYUSH Medical Services and the National Health Mission.

The rupee on Tuesday depreciated to another record low, by 23 paise against the US dollar, reaching 91.01 (provisional) . This decline was attributed to continuous foreign fund outflows, stalled India-US trade negotiations, and sustained US dollar purchases.The domestic currency initially dropped 36 paise to touch 91.14, its lowest point ever, before recovering slightly. Despite the US dollar’s weakness and significant reductions in global oil prices, the rupee continued its downward trend, according to currency traders.Over the past 10 trading sessions, the rupee has moved from 90 to 91 against the dollar. The currency has declined by 1 per cent versus the US dollar in just five sessions.Currency traders suggest that the rupee could potentially exceed 92 against the dollar this month.In interbank foreign exchange trading, the rupee began at 90.87 and fluctuated between 90.76 and 91.14 before closing at 91.01 (provisional), showing a 23 paise decline from its previous close.The domestic currency had closed at 90.78 against the US dollar on Monday, recording a 29 paise decrease from its earlier close. “Rupee made a new lifetime low as dollar buying continued with news that (US President) Donald Trump has not agreed to the new trade proposals from India. So the deal goes into limbo till a new one is finalised,” said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, as quoted by PTI.“FPIs will continue to sell while speculators will continue to take USD/INR up in the absence of RBI intervention… 92 looks imminent unless RBI has other ideas or a deal is finalised,” he added, forecasting tomorrow’s range between 90.75 and 91.25.According to exchange data, foreign institutional investors divested equities worth Rs 1,468.32 crore on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), placing the synthetic opioid in the same category as nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The move marks a dramatic escalation in Washington’s response to the fentanyl crisis, reframing the drug not just as a public health emergency but as a national security threat.The White House said the designation would “unleash every available tool” against the criminal networks responsible for producing and trafficking fentanyl, warning that the substance could be weaponised for mass-casualty attacks by organised adversaries.“Illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” the executive order said, pointing to its extreme potency and the scale of deaths linked to its spread across the United States.

What Is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid approved by the FDA for pain management and anesthesia. It is extremely potent—about 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Developed in 1959 and introduced medically in the 1960s, fentanyl is legally manufactured in the United States, but both pharmaceutical and illicit forms are widely misused.Illicitly produced fentanyl and its analogs have driven a sharp rise in overdose deaths. According to CDC data, deaths involving synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) increased from about 2,600 annually in 2011–2012 to more than 71,000 in 2021, totaling over 260,000 deaths from 2013–2021. This surge closely mirrors increased trafficking and distribution of illicit fentanyl.On the street, fentanyl may appear as powder or counterfeit pills and is often mixed with heroin or cocaine. Common street names include China Girl, King Ivory, and Tango & Cash. Fentanyl can be injected, smoked, snorted, or taken orally.

What makes Fentanyl dangerous?

Fentanyl is a fully synthetic opioid, approved for limited medical use but overwhelmingly produced illegally for the black market. Its lethality lies in its strength: as little as two milligrams — roughly the equivalent of a few grains of salt — can be fatal. US authorities say this makes it comparable, in practical terms, to chemical agents designed to kill with minute exposure.The order notes that hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses in recent years, often without knowing they were taking the drug at all. Fentanyl is frequently mixed into counterfeit prescription pills or blended with heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine, leaving users unaware they are ingesting a substance far more powerful than expected.US officials argue this combination of concealment, potency and ease of mass distribution elevates fentanyl beyond conventional narcotics. The administration also claims that, in theory, the drug could be used deliberately in concentrated form to carry out terror-style attacks, although experts remain sceptical about that specific risk.

National security, cartels and enforcement powers

The executive order ties fentanyl directly to organised crime and terrorism, saying its production and sale fund assassinations, insurgencies and violent campaigns by cartels and foreign terrorist organisations. It singles out two major cartels as being primarily responsible for fentanyl distribution inside the US, accusing them of waging armed conflict over territory and trafficking routes.Under the order, the attorney general is directed to pursue enhanced criminal prosecutions and tougher sentencing for fentanyl trafficking. The treasury and state departments are instructed to target financial networks linked to fentanyl production, while the Pentagon is asked to assess whether military resources should support domestic law enforcement.The armed forces will also be required to update homeland chemical-incident response plans to explicitly include fentanyl, and the Department of Homeland Security will draw on counter-proliferation intelligence normally reserved for WMD threats to track fentanyl smuggling networks.Trump announced the move while intensifying a wider campaign against what his administration calls “narco-terrorists” in Latin America, including military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels. He has repeatedly argued that fentanyl kills more Americans than bombs or conventional weapons.

Rupee extended its downward rally on Tuesday, slipping to a record low of 90.83 against the US dollar. The currency began trading on a weak note, opening 0.1% lower at 90.79 against Monday’s close of 90.73, as continued foreign fund outflows and trade-related uncertainty weighed on the domestic currency.The muted opening follows a sharp sell-off in the previous session, when the rupee slid to an all-time intra-day low of 90.80 before ending trade at a record closing level of 90.78 against the greenback. The domestic unit had registered a loss of 29 paise on Monday, extending its recent losing streak.According to forex traders, persistent risk aversion in the market, strong demand for dollars from importers, kept the currency weak. Concerns also rose over the timing and outcome of an India-US trade deal.VK Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist, Geojit Investments Limited told TOI that the currency “is likely to stabilise since November trade deficit has come down to $ 24.53 billion from $ 41.64 billion in October. This will take away some pressure on the FIIs to sell anticipating further depreciation.”Earlier on Monday, rupee opened at 90.53 at the interbank foreign exchange market. The latest slide came after the rupee had already fallen 17 paise, last week on Friday to close at 90.49, which was then its lowest-ever level against the US dollar.“The Indian rupee plunged to a record low, positioning it as the worst performer among the Asian currencies. Despite the better-than-expected trade balance number, the rupee was unable to find support,” Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities told PTI.Looking ahead, Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst, MiraeAsset ShareKhan, said that the currency is likely to remain under pressure in the near term.“The rupee is expected to trade with a negative bias amid delay in Indo-US trade deal and FII outflows,” he said. “A weak dollar and any intervention by the RBI may also support the rupee at lower levels. Investors may watch for central bank monetary policy decisions from BOE, ECB and BoJ. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 90.30 to Rs 91.”

US President Donald Trump (Photo credit: AP)

US President Donald Trump on Monday filed a defamation lawsuit against the BBC, accusing Britain’s public service broadcaster of misleadingly editing a speech he delivered to supporters in Washington on January 6, 2021, shortly before the US Capitol was stormed. The January 2021 attack on the US Capitol sought to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the violence.According to Reuters, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami. Trump has alleged that edited clips aired by the BBC falsely suggested he urged supporters to storm the Capitol, causing him serious reputational and financial damage.Trump claims the broadcaster stitched together excerpts from different parts of his speech including remarks urging supporters to march to the Capitol and another in which he said “fight like hell” — while excluding a passage calling for peaceful protest. He argues that the edit created a misleading impression of a direct call for violence.

BBC’s response so far

The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, according to The Guardian. However, the broadcaster has previously apologised, conceding an “error of judgment”, and acknowledged that the edit gave a mistaken impression. It has maintained that there is no legal basis for a defamation claim.In a statement issued earlier, a BBC spokesperson said lawyers had replied to Trump’s legal notice, adding: “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

What the edited clip showed?

The disputed clip featured in an episode of Panorama broadcast shortly before the 2024 US presidential election. The controversy triggered one of the biggest crises in the BBC’s 103-year history and led to the resignations of director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief Deborah Turness last month, The Guardian reported. The broadcaster has said it does not intend to rebroadcast the documentary on any of its platforms.According to The Guardian, the edit drawn from sections of Trump’s speech delivered almost an hour apart gave the impression that he told the crowd: “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you, and we fight. We fight like hell.”A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the edited footage, aired in the run-up to the 2024 election, amounted to a “brazen attempt” to interfere in the contest. “The BBC has a long pattern of deceiving its audience in coverage of President Trump, all in service of its own leftist political agenda,” the spokesperson said. “President Trump’s powerhouse lawsuit is holding the BBC accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference.”The row intensified after the leak of a BBC memo by an external editorial standards adviser, which raised concerns over how the programme had been edited as part of a wider review into alleged political bias at the publicly funded broadcaster. The documentary was not aired in the United States.Trump’s lawyers argue that the BBC acted “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively”. In the filing, Trump is seeking damages of at least $5 billion.Speaking earlier to reporters, Trump said: “We’ll sue them for anywhere between $1bn and $5bn probably sometime next week. I think I have to do it. They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth,” as quoted by the BBC. In a separate interview, he said: “I think I have an obligation to do it. If you don’t do it, you don’t stop it from happening again with other people.”Legal experts cited by Reuters say Trump faces a high legal threshold under US law. As a public figure, he must prove not only that the edit was false and defamatory, but also that the BBC knowingly misled viewers or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, given strong constitutional protections for free speech and the press.The BBC is expected to argue that the programme was substantially accurate, that its editing did not materially distort the meaning of the speech, or that Trump’s reputation was not harmed. In the UK, defamation claims must be filed within a year of publication, a deadline that has passed for the Panorama episode which may explain why Trump has chosen to sue in the US.Trump’s lawsuit argues that the Florida court has jurisdiction because the BBC conducts “substantial” business in the state, including through its website and the BritBox streaming service, which operates in the US.The case adds to a series of legal actions Trump has brought against media organisations. While CBS and ABC have settled lawsuits with him following his 2024 election victory, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and an Iowa newspaper have denied wrongdoing in cases filed against them.

NEW DELHI: With severe levels of pollution routinely choking Delhi-NCR during winters, Supreme Court on Monday said a major reason for the ineffectiveness of a slew of orders and protocols to fight noxious air is the reluctance of the rich and affluent to change their lifestyles. The remark was made by a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi after amicus curiae and senior advocate Aparajita Singh complained to the court that air pollution continues to hover around severe levels, causing serious health issues to residents of Delhi-NCR, despite several SC orders putting in place anti-pollution protocols. Singh said, “Implementation of these orders and taking action as per the protocols has always remained tardy.” The CJI-led bench said, “The Supreme Court has passed a number of orders, yet the situation remains unchanged. What is the solution? We must pass practical orders which can be implemented. Otherwise, people will continue to flout it.” The CJI said, “People need to understand the need of the hour and change their lifestyles. The affluent class does not comply with the restrictions and continues to use big diesel-guzzling cars, generators and other polluting gadgets. The pollution caused by vehicles is choking the national capital and surrounding areas. It is the poor and working class who are most exposed to pollution and suffer the most.” In an affidavit last week, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had informed the court that transport sector accounts of 41% of the pollution load on Delhi-NCR’s ambient air, while dust and construction activities accounted for 21%, industry 19%, power plants 5%, residential activities 3% and other sources 11%. It said that while these factors are constant sources of pollution, stubble burning is only a periodic cause restricted to a short span in a year. As the CJI-led bench agreed to hear the air pollution issue on Wednesday, the amicus complained that though SC had barred schools and organisations from conducting sporting events for children, who suffer the most from hazardous air quality, the organisers continue to sidestep the restrictions and conduct such events, putting the well-being of students/children at risk.Another counsel raised the issue of health of schoolgoing kids during severe pollution, through a separate application. The bench said that judicial time cannot be spent hearing arguments from different counsels on the same issue and asked all advocates to give their suggestions to the amicus curiae, who alone would be making submissions on different issues before the court.

FBI foiled a suspected New Year’s Eve terror plot in California, releasing surveillance footage of the extremists just before their arrest.Four alleged members of a far-left pro-Palestinian anti-government group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front were apprehended last week while travelling east of Los Angeles to test improvised explosive devices (IEDs), officials said. The group is suspected of planning coordinated bomb attacks at at least five locations across the region.US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that authorities prevented “far-left” extremists from executing “a massive and horrific terror plot”.The suspects were identified as: Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41.The quad face charges, including conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California.Officials said the group travelled to the desert with “precursor chemicals” on December 12, intending to build bombs. A surveillance plane captured their movements, and the FBI and Los Angeles SWAT team arrested the quartet without incident.The plot reportedly targeted two logistics centres at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The group also allegedly discussed attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and vehicles in January or February. One of the extremists, Carroll, allegedly said: “That would take some of them out and scare the rest of them.”LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell praised the coordinated effort. “The successful disruption of this plot is a powerful testament to the strength of our unified response,” he said, adding that collaboration with allied agencies “prevented a potential tragedy and reaffirmed our shared commitment to safeguarding our communities”.The FBI has said the investigation is ongoing to identify any additional suspects connected to the plot.

Arjuna Ranatunga. (Photo/social media)

Sri Lankan authorities plan to arrest the country’s former men’s cricket team captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, on corruption charges linked to his tenure as petroleum minister, a court was told on Monday.Ranatunga and his brother are accused of altering the procedure for awarding long-term oil procurement contracts and instead making spot purchases at higher prices, according to a corruption watchdog.“The total loss to the state from 27 purchases is 800 million rupees,” the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption told the court, as reported by news agency AFP. The amount was equivalent to just over $5 million at the time the deals were made in 2017.The commission told Colombo Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama that Arjuna Ranatunga was currently abroad and would be arrested upon his return.His elder brother, Dhammika Ranatunga, who was chairman of the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation at the time, was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.The magistrate imposed a travel ban on Dhammika, who holds dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and the United States.The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 13.Arjuna Ranatunga, 62, captained Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup, defeating Australia in the final.The case involving the Ranatunga brothers is part of a broader crackdown by the government of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power last year after pledging to act against corruption.Another brother, Prasanna Ranatunga, a former tourism minister, was arrested last month in connection with an insurance fraud case. That matter is pending.Prasanna Ranatunga had earlier been convicted in June 2022 for extorting money from a businessman and is currently serving a two-year suspended prison sentence.