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‘Red corridor’ will be crushed by March 31, says Amit Shah | India News


'Red corridor' will be crushed by March 31, says Amit Shah

BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday hailed security forces for decisively curbing Naxal activities, declaring that the extremists’ long-cherished ambition of establishing a “red corridor” stretching from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh to Pashupati in Nepal will be removed by March 31.He was speaking at the 57th raising day celebrations of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at Mundali in Cuttack district of Odisha, where he launched five housing projects worth Rs 890 crore for the paramilitary force which he hailed a “key catalyst” in India’s industrial growth.“Naxal-free India is the resolve of the Narendra Modi govt. I want to reassure citizens that by March 31, left-wing extremism (LWE) will be completely wiped out. By defeating those who dream of a red corridor from Tirupati to Pashupati, our security forces will establish their dominance,” Shah said. Highlighting the CISF’s role in anti-Maoist efforts, Shah said: “Be it Odisha, Chhattisgarh or Telangana, CISF has made a significant contribution in our fight against LWE.Although CISF is not directly engaged in combat operations, officials say they play a crucial supporting role – serving as road-opening parties, securing routes for troop movement, protecting installations in Naxal-affected areas, and assisting state govts in outreach and welfare initiatives to build trust. From the Mundali training centre, Shah laid the foundation stone virtually for three CISF residential complexes in Assam, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.



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“She wants her wedding….”: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship faces an unexpected complication as their wedding nears | NFL News


"She wants her wedding....": Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship faces an unexpected complication as their wedding nears
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s rumored wedding plans may face unexpected attention as another high-profile celebrity wedding is scheduled around the same time. Sources claim the overlap could reignite discussions about Swift’s past relationship, potentially drawing comparisons online. The pop star reportedly hopes her big day remains focused on her relationship with Kelce rather than past headlines resurfacing.

Wedding chatter around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce has been building for months, but a fresh twist has suddenly complicated the narrative. As speculation about their rumored summer ceremony intensifies, another headline is quietly surfacing at the same time. Swift’s former partner, Matty Healy, is reportedly preparing for a wedding of his own.The timing has caught the attention of fans and entertainment watchers alike. While Swift and Kelce have not officially confirmed their wedding date, several reports suggest a June ceremony could be on the horizon. That places the pop superstar’s big day just weeks before Healy’s expected wedding to model Gabbriette Bechtel in California. With both figures deeply embedded in pop culture headlines, even the smallest overlap between their personal milestones could spark widespread discussion.

Taylor Swift could see wedding headlines clash with ex boyfriend’s big day

Sources familiar with the situation say the overlapping timelines could reopen conversations Swift would rather leave in the past. According to reports, the singer hopes her wedding moment remains focused on the present rather than revisiting past relationships.One insider explained the concern, saying the close timing between the ceremonies could quickly become a major talking point. The source noted that “both of them occupy such a huge place in pop culture, even a small overlap in their personal timelines becomes a talking point.”Swift and Healy were briefly linked in the past, a relationship that attracted intense media attention despite its short duration. That history, however fleeting, is now resurfacing as fans notice the proximity between the rumored wedding dates.The same source suggested that such comparisons might frustrate Swift if they overshadow her celebration with Kelce. According to the report, “fans and commentators are naturally going to draw comparisons and revisit the history between them.”If the rumored June ceremony moves forward, the source added, the singer may prefer that the spotlight stay firmly on her current relationship. The insider concluded that the situation could “leave Taylor a bit furious, as she wants her wedding free of talk of her exes’ activities.”For now, both weddings remain surrounded by speculation. Neither Swift nor Kelce has publicly confirmed their date. Still, with two high profile ceremonies potentially happening weeks apart, fans are already watching closely to see how the headlines unfold.



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Iaf Pilot Death: IAF pilot part of Operation Sindoor among 2 killed in Assam Sukhoi crash | India News


IAF pilot part of Operation Sindoor among 2 killed in Assam Sukhoi crash

GUWAHATI/NAGPUR/GURGAON: Squadron Leader Anuj Vashishth and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar, who was part of Operation Sindoor last year, were killed on Thursday evening when their Su-30MKI crashed in Assam’s hilly Karbi Anglong district shortly after going off the radar during a training sortie, IAF confirmed on Friday after locating the wreckage. The Sukhoi jet had taken off from the WWII-era Jorhat airbase, 200km from Karbi Anglong, around 6.45pm and lost contact with ground control at 7.42 pm. Vashishth, 29, whose family lives in Gurugram’s Sector 22B, was to get married soon. Duragkar, 25, had just returned to his squadron after visiting his parents in Nagpur around 10 days ago. His father Ravindra received news of the crashed jet being traced from a relative before the IAF unit’s commanding officer called to confirm his pilot son’s death.

IAF pilot part of Operation Sindoor among 2 killed in Assam Sukhoi crash

‘Sqn Ldr Vashishth was introvert but passionate about flying’Karbi Anglong DC Aranyak Saikia told TOI the jet crashed “into a remote, uninhabited hill” near Rongkhelan village under Nilip block, north of district headquarters town Diphu. The crash site is a three-hour trek from the nearest road head at Chowkihola, which takes two and a half hours by road to reach from Diphu. Residents of nearby villages reported hearing a loud explosion as the jet, engulfed in flames, hurtled down the hillside. The debris was scattered across a large area. “IAF acknowledges the loss of Sqn Ldr Anuj and Flt Lt Purvesh Duragkar, who sustained fatal injuries in the Su-30 crash. All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences and stand firmly with the bereaved families in this time of grief,” IAF posted on X. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma condoled the deaths. “Their courage and service to the nation will always be remembered with pride and gratitude,” Singh said.It was the second fatal Su-30MKI crash in the Northeast in eight years. On May 23, 2017, Sqn Ldr D Pankaj and Flt Lt S Achudev took off from Tezpur’s Salonibari air base on a routine training mission and lost radar and radio contact near Arunachal Pradesh’s Doulasang, close to the China border. Their bodies were found eight days after the crash.Of the 13 Su-30MKI crashes in India since the jet’s induction into IAF’s fleet in 2002, four have been in the northeast. IAF maintains three Su-30MKI bases in the region – Salonibari (Tezpur), Chabua (Dibrugarh) and Jorhat – housing four squadrons between them, all within 150 to 250 km of the China frontier.Flt Lt Duragkar’s father said his son joined IAF four years ago, hardly expecting to be part of a historic moment like Op Sindoor so early in his career. “He would say, ‘Hamari air force chahti toh Pakistan ka naam-o-nishan mita deti (Our air force could have wiped out the enemy if it wanted to)’. My son died for the country. I wish he lived longer to serve IAF and the nation.”The last time they met, the entire family was together. Flt Lt Duragkar’s sister Sayali, who lives in the US, had come down to Nagpur for the reunion.IAF hasn’t officially cited Flt Lt Duragkar’s participation in Op Sindoor in accordance with norms for operations involving national security, defence officials said.Sqn Ldr Vashishth’s father Anand Kumar Vashishth left for Assam Friday to bring home his son one last time. The pilot’s younger brother Manuj, based in the UK, is expected in time for Saturday’s funeral at the family’s native village of Kakrana in Haryana’s Rohtak.A relative of the Sqn Ldr Vashishth said he joined IAF about a decade ago, inspired by his father, who had served as a subedar in the Army. “He was passionate about flying, somewhat introverted, and a wonderful officer,” a colleague told TOI.



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Civil Services Examination 2025: MBBS graduate tops civil services exam in which professionals dominate | India News


MBBS graduate tops civil services exam in which professionals dominate
Topper Anuj Agnihotri cleared UPSC with medical science as optional subject

NEW DELHI: AIIMS Jodhpur MBBS graduate Anuj Agnihotri has topped the Civil Services Examination 2025, the UPSC announced Friday, recommending 958 candidates for appointment to various services. Graduates of medicine, engineering, law and commerce have once again dominated the top ranks of the exam that had nearly 9.3 lakh applicants. Agnihotri cleared the civil services with medical science as the optional subject. He began his schooling at Atomic Energy Central School, completing Class X, and then moved to MB Public Senior Secondary School in Kota for Class XII.

958 selected

Rajeshwari Suve M from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, secured Rank 2. An engineering graduate from Anna University, she had cleared the state civil services examination and is currently serving as a deputy collector.Delhi grads dominate UPSC top 5; law, commerce, economics shineEkansh Dhull from Haryana secured rank three. A commerce graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce at the University of Delhi, he had earlier cleared the UPSC exam in 2024 with rank 342 before moving into the top three this year. Raghav Jhunjhunwala, who holds a BA (Hons) degree in Economics from University of Delhi, secured the fourth rank, while Ishan Bhatnagar, a BA LLB (Hons) graduate from National Law University Delhi, secured the fifth position with sociology as his optional subject.Of the 9,37,876 candidates who applied, 5,76,793 appeared for the preliminary examination conducted on May 25, 2025. A total of 14,161 candidates qualified for the written mains examination held in Aug 2025, and 2,736 candidates progressed to the personality test stage conducted between Dec 2025 and Feb 2026.Following the completion of all stages, the commission has recommended 958 candidates for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other central services under Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’.The government has reported 1,087 vacancies across these services. These include 180 posts in the IAS, 55 in the IFS and 150 in the IPS, while Central Services Group ‘A’ account for 507 vacancies and Group ‘B’ services for 195 posts.Among the recommended candidates, 317 belong to the general category, 104 to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), 306 to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), 158 to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 73 to the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The list also includes 42 persons with benchmark disabilities across four categories.The commission has also maintained a consolidated reserve list of 258 candidates in accordance with the Civil Services Examination Rules 2025.Final appointments will be made depending on the number of vacancies available in each service and after verification of candidates’ reservation claims by the authorities concerned.



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Vinnie Hinostroza Trade: Florida Panthers reunite with forward ahead of NHL trade deadline | NHL News


Vinnie Hinostroza Trade: Florida Panthers reunite with forward ahead of NHL trade deadline
Vinnie Hinostroza Trade: Florida Panthers reunite with forward ahead of NHL trade deadline (Image Via Twitter)

The Vinnie Hinostroza trade turned into one of the most captivating events that occurred during the NHL Trade Deadline period. The Florida Panthers executed a roster move that created a spectacle that both fans and analysts found exciting because teams were finalizing their rosters. The trade brings two benefits to the team because it expands their player options while reintroducing a former player who has already played for the team. The Panthers will receive an important advantage through this reunion, which occurs at a time when their team faces its most difficult challenges.

Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito reunites with Vinnie Hinostroza after Minnesota Wild trade deal

The Florida Panthers completed their acquisition of Vinnie Hinostroza from the Minnesota Wild, which Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin confirmed. The trade took place just hours before the NHL Trade Deadline when the teams exchanged players for future considerations. Hinostroza played 48 games with Minnesota during this season, which resulted in him scoring three goals and seven assists to achieve a total of 10 points. He registered 46 shots on goal and delivered 30 hits while maintaining consistent playing time throughout the game. The European hockey player recorded two power-play assists and all his other points during even-strength situations.Hinostroza has maintained his relationship with the Panthers organization for multiple years. Bill Zito, the Panthers’ general manager, signed him as one of his first free-agent additions after joining the organization in 2020. The team used him as a healthy scratch during his time with the Florida Panthers, which included nine appearances and another nine games under their previous coach, Joel Quenneville.

Vinnie Hinostroza returns to Florida Panthers roster during injury-heavy season

The current situation shows how much things have changed since Hinostroza first came back to Florida. The Panthers need to build their roster through the acquisition of a flexible forward because they face multiple player injuries during this season.31-year-old host currently playing on an expiring deal rolling at a $775,000 annual value. The Florida team can use his NHL experience, which he gained from playing with the Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Minnesota Wild, to provide them with a flexible player who can fill multiple positions.The Vinnie Hinostroza trade stands as a less important NHL Trade Deadline news story, but it serves as an essential strategic decision for the Florida Panthers. Bill Zito strengthens the team through his decision to re-sign a known player who brings both experience and depth to the roster during this critical period. The Florida Panthers will benefit from Hinostroza’s return as the team enters its final stretch of the season.



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‘Too many ill-wishers’: Russia declines to disclose crude export data for India



Russia on Friday said it would not disclose details of Russia’s crude oil exports to India, citing security and geopolitical concerns amid heightened tensions in global energy markets, reported PTI.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would keep the figures confidential and would not release quantitative information about oil shipments to India.“No, of course, we’re not going to provide any quantitative data for obvious reasons. That’s the first thing. There are too many ill-wishers,” Peskov said.His remarks came hours after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington had issued a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, amid disruptions caused by the ongoing West Asia conflict.Peskov was responding to questions about Indian media reports suggesting that Russia could deliver around 22 million barrels of crude oil to India within a week.Earlier on Thursday, Russian state television aired a map showing multiple oil tankers moving from the Arabian Sea towards the Bay of Bengal, apparently heading to refineries on India’s eastern coast.Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow was ready to increase crude supplies to India and China, as both countries face energy supply disruptions following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the effective closure of oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz due to Tehran’s retaliatory actions.



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‘I will not relent’: Judge keeps Shilo Sanders locked in $12 million bankruptcy fight | NFL News


'I will not relent': Judge keeps Shilo Sanders locked in $12 million bankruptcy fight
Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders. ( Image via Getty Images)

A hallway confrontation from 2015 is still running Shilo Sanders’ life, and a federal judge just made sure it stays that way.On March 4, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Romero denied Sanders’ attempt to toss a lawsuit from the trustee overseeing his bankruptcy estate, keeping alive claims that he moved roughly $250,000 that should have gone to creditors.

Judge’s latest ruling keeps the bankruptcy law fight alive

Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2023 after a Texas court entered a default judgment of about $11.89 million against him. The judgment came out of a civil case brought by former school security guard John Darjean, who says Sanders assaulted him at a Dallas-area high school in 2015 and left him with permanent injuries.The bankruptcy case put Sanders’ finances under a microscope. Trustee David Wadsworth was appointed to track down assets that could be used to pay Darjean and other creditors. In October 2025, Wadsworth filed a complaint accusing Sanders of violating bankruptcy law by shifting money that should have been part of the estate.According to the filings, Wadsworth is targeting around $250,000 in alleged unauthorized transfers from Sanders’ Big 21 account, along with nearly $203,000 in payments linked to his Headache Gang brand and other NIL deals. The core question is simple: how much of that money legally belongs to Sanders, and how much should have been locked in for creditors once he went bankrupt.Sanders asked the court to dismiss the complaint. Romero refused. In his ruling, the judge stressed that he was not deciding the facts yet, only whether Wadsworth’s case was strong enough to move forward. “The Court’s role in deciding the Motion to Dismiss is not to resolve factual disputes or weigh potential evidence outside the four corners of the Complaint,” Romero wrote. He added that the trustee had “supported his claims with sufficient factual allegations regarding Sanders’ bank accounts, his NIL proceeds deposits into the Big 21 Account, and Sanders’ control over Big 21 and Headache Gang.Romero closed the door on any quick escape. “Whether the evidence will ultimately substantiate the Trustee’s claims is a matter to be decided at trial.”

A 2015 hallway incident still controls Shilo Sanders’ future

All of this traces back to one day in September 2015. Darjean says a 15-year-old Sanders refused to hand over his phone, then assaulted him, leaving him with a broken neck, cervical spine damage, permanent neurological issues, and lifelong incontinence.Darjean sued Sanders and his parents in 2016. Deion and Pilar Sanders were later dropped from the case. Shilo did not appear when the lawsuit finally reached trial in 2022, which led the court to hit him with the $11.89 million default judgment. In 2024, Darjean made it clear he is not backing down, saying, “I will not relent until the truth is revealed and I receive my $12 million.”Bankruptcy was supposed to give Sanders a way out. Instead, it created two separate legal battles. One is the trustee’s case over those NIL and business transfers. The other is a trial set for Aug. 31 that will decide whether Sanders’ actions toward Darjean count as “willful and malicious” injuries.That August trial is critical. If the court decides the injuries were willful and malicious, the debt tied to Darjean would stick with Sanders. If not, he could discharge it and move on from the bankruptcy process entirely. The trustee’s complaint sits on top of that question, waiting for the answer.Meanwhile, his football career is stuck. Sanders went undrafted in 2025, then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent. He flashed at times in preseason but ended that stint with an ejection after taking a swing at an opponent and has been waiting for another shot since.Colorado alum Matt McChesney has already floated a different path, saying on the Zero 2 Sixty podcast, “I’m not saying that in jest at all.” He added, “I’m 100% serious. Shilo doesn’t have a job, coaching, or playing… You can still make money on YouTube and be a college coach.”For now, though, the next move is not on a field or a sideline. It is in a courtroom, where a teenager’s decision in a school hallway is still deciding how much of Shilo Sanders’ future he actually owns.



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Russia helping Iran? Moscow providing real time intelligence to Tehran on American military assets


Russia helping Iran? Moscow providing real time intelligence to Tehran on American military assets

Russia has been providing Iran with real-time intelligence on the locations of American military assets in the Middle East, including warships and aircraft, potentially helping Tehran target US forces during the ongoing conflict, according to a report citing officials familiar with the intelligence.According to The Washington Post, three officials said Moscow has shared information on the locations of US warships, aircraft and other military assets since the war began on Saturday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.The assistance marks the first reported indication that another major US adversary may be indirectly involved in the conflict, which has rapidly escalated across the region.“It does seem like it’s a pretty comprehensive effort,” one of the officials told the newspaper.

Intelligence sharing and Iranian strikes

Officials said the extent of Russia’s targeting support was not fully clear, but noted that Iran’s own ability to track US forces had been degraded in the early days of the war.Analysts say the reported intelligence sharing could help explain the precision of some Iranian strikes on US-linked targets. Since the conflict began, Iran has launched thousands of one-way attack drones and hundreds of missiles toward US military positions, embassies and other targets in the region.One of the attacks on Sunday killed six US troops in Kuwait and injured several others when an Iranian drone struck a military facility.Dara Massicot, a Russia military expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said some of Iran’s strikes have targeted critical infrastructure such as radar systems.“Iran is making very precise hits on early warning radars or over-the-horizon radars,” she said. “They’re doing this in a very targeted way. They’re going after command and control.”The CIA station at the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, was also struck in recent days.

Satellite capabilities and improved targeting

Experts say Russia’s advanced satellite capabilities could significantly improve Iran’s targeting ability.Iran has only a limited number of military-grade satellites and lacks its own satellite constellation, making imagery from Russia particularly valuable. Moscow has also refined its intelligence and targeting capabilities during the war in Ukraine.Nicole Grajewski of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, who studies Russia–Iran cooperation, said the quality of Iran’s retaliatory strikes appears to have improved.“They’re getting through air defenses,” she said, adding that the strikes showed a high degree of “sophistication” in the selection of targets and the ability to overwhelm some US and allied defence systems.

Washington response and China’s role

The CIA and the Pentagon declined to comment on the report.A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, did not address the alleged Russian assistance but said the US campaign was weakening Iran’s military capabilities.“The Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed,” she said. “Their ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight.”US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this week that Russia and China were “not really a factor here” when asked about their possible involvement.Two officials cited in the report said China does not appear to be assisting Iran’s military response, despite close ties between the two countries.

Wider geopolitical context

Russia has publicly called for an end to the conflict, describing it as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression”. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.The reported intelligence sharing also reflects the evolving dynamics among US adversaries. During the Ukraine war, Iran, China and North Korea have provided various forms of military or material support to Russia, while the United States has supplied Ukraine with weapons and intelligence to improve targeting of Russian forces.Iran has been a key partner for Moscow in that conflict, providing technology for low-cost one-way attack drones that Russia has used extensively against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.“The Russians are more than aware of the assistance that we’re giving the Ukrainians,” one of the officials told the newspaper. “I think they were very happy to try to get some payback.”Despite the reported intelligence support, analysts say Moscow is unlikely to directly enter the conflict as it remains heavily focused on the war in Ukraine.“The Kremlin is very much considering this is not their problem and not their war,” Massicot said, adding that from a strategic standpoint “Ukraine is still far and away the number one priority.”



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Axar Patel backs Varun Chakravarthy ahead of T20 World Cup final: ‘You are the X-factor, trust yourself’ | Cricket News


‘You are the X-factor, trust yourself’: Axar Patel backs Varun Chakravarthy ahead of T20 World Cup final
Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Even as questions grow over his form, India continue to view Varun Chakravarthy as their potential match-winner — the “X-factor” who could still turn the T20 World Cup final in their favour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The mystery spinner endured a difficult outing in India’s dramatic seven-run semifinal win over England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, conceding 64 runs in four overs. Yet the team management and senior teammates remain firmly behind him ahead of the title clash against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

India in T20 World Cup final: Small contributions which had HUGE impact

India vice-captain Axar Patel revealed that the team has had conversations with Chakravarthy about staying mentally strong and sticking to his plans, even when things are not going his way.“We have talked about it,” Axar said after the match. “We have played a lot of knockout games and in these moments mindset becomes very important. Yes, there is skill and all, but when you go for runs, don’t change your plan even if the batter is targeting you.”Axar stressed that confidence remains key for the world’s top-ranked T20 bowler.“You have a plan to put it in the stumps first, and then suddenly you change the line. Yes, there could be mistakes in pressure situations. We keep telling him, ‘You are the X-factor, trust yourself.’ When it comes to the ball, it is all about confidence,” he added.Chakravarthy’s struggles were most visible when England’s Jacob Bethell launched an aggressive assault, smashing three sixes in the spinner’s opening over and taking 42 runs off just 13 balls faced against him during his blistering century.Despite the hammering, Axar pointed out that Chakravarthy still managed a crucial wicket.“If you look at it, even after being hit for a few sixes, he got the wicket of Jos Buttler. He is the number one T20 bowler, he knows what he is doing. It is a matter of mindset,” Axar said.With one match left in the tournament, Axar believes Chakravarthy could yet script a dramatic turnaround.“We have one more match,” he said. “Maybe he will give a match-winning performance in the final.”



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UV radiation alert in Bengaluru, Kerala: ‘Cause for concern’: No heatwave yet but UV radiation already worry in Bengaluru, Kerala; what you need to know | Bengaluru News


'Cause for concern': No heatwave yet but UV radiation already a worry in Bengaluru, Kerala; what you need to know
Image Used For Representational Purpose Only (PTI Photo)

BENGALURU: Even before the peak summer months set in, parts of south India are witnessing an unusual rise in ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels. In Bengaluru, a relatively moderate maximum temperature of 32°C recorded on Tuesday was accompanied by a sharp spike in UV radiation. The city’s afternoon UV Index climbed to 13 — classified as “extreme” under World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Weather officials said the sudden surge in UV levels, rather than the temperature itself, was the more worrying development. The rapid jump in UV levels — from 10 to 13 in under two days — has raised concern among experts.UV intensity is influenced largely by the thickness of the ozone layer, which acts as a protective shield by absorbing much of the Sun’s harmful radiation.

Radiation alert in Kerala

Authorities in Kerala have also flagged similar concerns. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) issued an ultraviolet radiation alert after several districts recorded high UV Index values. Konni, Chengannur and Munnar recorded a high UVI of 8, while Kottarakkara, Changanassery, Ollur, Thrithala and Mananthavady recorded UVI levels of 7. Earlier, the authority noted that districts including Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kozhikode and Palakkad had recorded a UV index of seven, while Idukki touched eight. KSDMA warned that continuous exposure to UV radiation for long periods can lead to sunburn, skin diseases, eye problems and other health issues. The highest UV radiation levels are typically recorded between 10am and 3pm.

Precautions to take during high UV radiation:

  • Avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm, when UV radiation is at its strongest.
  • Wear sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and reapply every 2–3 hours if outdoors.
  • Use protective clothing such as full-sleeve shirts, caps or wide-brimmed hats.
  • Wear UV-protection sunglasses to prevent eye damage.
  • Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and fluids.
  • Seek shade whenever possible, especially during peak afternoon hours.
  • Avoid prolonged outdoor work or exercise during extreme UV conditions.
  • Watch for signs of sunburn, dizziness, dehydration or heat exhaustion and seek rest immediately.

Risks of high UV radiation exposure:

  • Sunburn and skin irritation after even short periods in direct sunlight
  • Premature skin ageing, including wrinkles and pigmentation
  • Eye damage, such as irritation and long-term vision problems
  • Increased risk of skin cancer with prolonged or repeated exposure
  • Dehydration due to intense heat and sun exposure
  • Heat exhaustion, especially during extended outdoor activity
  • Heatstroke in severe cases, particularly among outdoor workers and vulnerable groups



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