Mohamad Safa, a diplomat and long‑time UN representative for the Patriotic Vision Association (PVA), resigned from his role, accusing the United Nations of preparing for the possible use of nuclear weapons in Iran.Safa, who served as PVA’s main representative at the United Nations for nearly 12 years, announced his resignation on X on Sunday, stating that he could no longer continue in his role “at a time when the UN is preparing for possible nuclear weapon use in Iran.”Sharing a photograph of Tehran, he highlighted the human cost of such an attack. “This is a picture of Tehran. For you uneducated, untraveled, never-served, warhawks licking your chops at the thought of bombing it. It’s not some low population desert. There are families, children, family pets. Regular working class people with dreams. You’re sick to want war. Tehran is a city of nearly 10,000,000 people. Imagine nuking Washington, Berlin, Paris, London, or beyond, bombed with nuclear weapons.”“I gave up my diplomatic career to leak this information. I suspended my duties so as not to be part of or a witness to this crime against humanity, in an attempt to prevent a nuclear winter before it is too late,” he added.He urged urgent global attention and action, warning, “The possibility of the use of nuclear weapons must be taken very seriously. It’s dangerous. Act now. Spread this message worldwide. Take the streets. Protest for our humanity and future. Only the people can stop it. History will remember us.”Safa warned that the situation in the Middle East is being underestimated and called for urgent global attention to prevent catastrophic consequences, emphasising the broader implications of nuclear conflict, including widespread destruction and a potential “nuclear winter.”In a previous post, Safa expressed concerns about the United Nations itself, alleging that certain senior figures are “serving a powerful lobby and not the UN.” He added that he would step away from all UN committees and groups he was associated with.His resignation comes amid reports that the United States is preparing for a possible expansion of its military operations in Iran. Plans reportedly range from limited, targeted ground raids to a broader deployment of troops, even as the White House publicly maintains that no final decision has been made. Analysts note that this reflects a widening gap between operational readiness on the ground and cautious messaging from Washington, with officials signalling both restraint and the possibility of escalation within the same breath.

Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has accused its executive committee member and Churchill Brothers CEO Valanka Alemao of exerting “sustained pressure” on the federation to facilitate the inclusion of the Goan team in the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL).“Between January 8 and February 15, Ms. Alemao and members of her family exerted sustained pressure on the AIFF to facilitate the inclusion of Churchill Brothers FC Goa in the ISL through exceptional means,” AIFF said in a statement on Monday. “However, the federation was unable to accommodate this request due to existing rules, regulations, and commitments made to stakeholders.”The statement came on the day Valanka accused AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, vice president NA Haris and deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan of intimidation and harassment during the executive committee meeting on Sunday.Churchill Bros, who are not part of either the ISl or second tier Indian Football League (IFL) this season, have been up in arms against the AIFF due to last season’s I-League title race, where they were first declared champions. However, the title was later awarded to Inter Kashi, who won two appeals in the Court of Arbitration for sport (CAS).“In order to remain compliant with the applicable regulations and legal obligations, AIFF could not include Churchill Brothers in the ISL. Following this, several legal petitions were filed by members of Ms. Alemao’s family. Despite being an executive committee member of AIFF, she repeatedly attempted to influence proceedings during official meetings with the objective of securing the inclusion of her club in the ISL,” said AIFF.According to the statement, Valanka “strongly pressed” for the convening of an emergency executive committee meeting, which could not proceed on Feb 9 due to lack of quorum. Another meeting was called three days later where the proposal to include Churchill in ISL was rejected.“On Feb 14, the opening day of the ISL season, further requests were made by her family for AIFF to convene a third emergency executive committee meeting on the same matter. Given that the issue had already been deliberated upon and decided by the executive committee, AIFF did not consider it appropriate to reconvene the body.“Subsequently, legal petitions were filed before the Delhi High Court. The AIFF reiterates that all meetings and decisions of the federation are conducted strictly in accordance with its Articles of Association and established procedures,” said AIFF.

Panaji: The All India Football Federation’s executive committee member Valanka Alemao has accused top federation officials of intimidation and harassment after she raised concerns over procedural irregularities.In an email to all members, Valanka detailed the harassment during the executive committee meeting in Delhi on Sunday where AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey “made remarks which were unnecessary and disrespectful.”Valanka’s email on Monday named Chaubey, vice president NA Haris and deputy secretary general M. Satyanarayan for “disgusting behaviour” and “disrespectful actions.”“The president made remarks against me which were unnecessary and disrespectful,” said Valanka, the first and only elected member of the AIFF and chairperson of the women’s football committee. “He along with the DSG also raised his tone time and again beyond an acceptable decibel with the intention to intimidate me. I feel deeply prejudiced and I found that several attempts were made by the president to suppress my voice.”According to Valanka, she was consistently targeted for raising concerns over procedural irregularities and demanding answers.The executive committee member previously questioned the appointment of Amelia Valverde as coach, the preparatory phase being marred by deviating from what was decided in an earlier meeting, and called for inquiry into the mishandling of kits for the women’s national team at the AFC Asian Cup in Australia. Before the start of the meeting on Sunday, Valanka expressed concern over steps taken to finalise the commercial rights and members not being informed of important details on sponsorships.“I believe that this letter has infuriated the AIFF president, vice president and deputy secretary general which led to the unfair treatment towards me in the executive committee meeting for reasons best known to them, whose job is to respect and adhere to the decisions made by the executive committee and general body,” said Valanka.She also questioned the appointment of two new members in the AIFF ethics and dispute resolution committee without circulation of eligibility report among executive committee members in contravention of Article 45.9 of the constitution.“At a time when the Prime Minister and the central government, through various policies, are trying to provide women due and proper place in society, the AIFF is doing just the opposite by heckling and harassing a women executive committee member, who has the distinction of being elected as the first women member in the AIFF since 1937. I was also elected as a member of the FIFA women’s football development committee, which clearly portrays my competency responsible administrator at a global level,” said Valanka.

MUMBAI: The state govt on Tuesday appointed Ashwini Bhide as the city’s Municipal Commissioner. Bhide is the first woman BMC chief since the BMC was set up over 160 years ago.Bhide who is an IAS officer of the 1995 batch retires in 2030 and could get a full three year tenure as BMC chief. IAS officer Lokesh Chandra who was Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) replaces Bhide as Additional Chief Secretary in the CMO. Bhide will continue to hold additional charge as MD of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). DCM Eknath Shinde on Monday night met CM Devendra Fadnavis at Varsha, the CM’s official residence. Shinde’s meeting with CM Fadnavis led to speculation that the pending transfers of senior IAS officers in the state were discussed, especially the next Municipal Commissioner of BMC. Both CM Fadnavis and DCM Shinde are said to have had different choices for the BMC’s top post but the CM’s choice prevailed. Bhide replaces current Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani who retired on Tuesday.Bhide inherits a massive budget of Rs over 80,000 crore and several high-stakes urban challenges. For now her primary hurdles involve managing critical infrastructure, pre-monsoon readiness, and long-standing civic issues. However with the BJP now ruling the BMC in alliance with the Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and the opposition led by Sena (UBT) also having a significant number of Corporators, Bhide will also have to do some political management and balancing act to get projects delivered and policies pushed. Similarly, she will face fiscal management challenges as she will need to manage cash flows carefully, especially as capital expenditure now accounts for around 60% of the total budget. Bhide is recognized for leading major infrastructure projects, like the Metro Line 3. Bhide, as Additional Municipal Commissioner, played a crucial role in executing Mumbai’s Coastal Road Project. She is known as a tough task master and is said to be close to CM Fadnavis. She is widely recognized as the “Metro Woman of Mumbai” for her leadership in the Metro 3 project. According to a senior cabinet Minister, apart from Bhide, IAS officers Sanjay Mukherjee, Aseem Gupta and Milind Mhaiskar were in the fray to become the next Municipal Commissioner. The Mahayuti govt has in the past appointed Rashmi Shukla as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) serving from January 2024 to January 3, 2026 and Sujata Saunik as first female Chief Secretary in 2024 and retired in June 2025.Gagrani was appointed as BCM chief March 2024, following a directive from the Election Commission (EC).

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is facing growing concerns over multiple issues around the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with reports suggesting the Pakistan Cricket Board chief is particularly upset about a hotel-security incident involving Lahore Qalandars players.The situation comes at a time when PSL 2026 is already being conducted under restrictions. Matches in Lahore are being held without spectators, and the tournament is running with fewer venues due to fuel and travel issues in Pakistan linked to the West Asia crisis. The PCB had put measures in place to manage the event, but the league has seen multiple controversies in quick succession.