In a series of joint operations, the security forces have recovered illegally held 77 arms, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades, various ammunition and war-like stores, officials said on Tuesday.

The security forces also arrested nine militants of different outfits.

A Defence spokesperson said that the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, ITBP and Manipur Police during the past few days recovered the 77 arms, several IEDs, grenades, different types of ammunition and war-like stores from seven districts -- Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Imphal East, Kakching, Jiribam, Kangpokpi and Imphal West.

He said that the recovered arms include Carbines, Self-Loading Rifles (SLR), AK series rifles, AK series rifles, .303 Light Machine Guns (LMGs), Carbine Machine Guns, .303 Rifles, INSAS rifles, Snipers rifles, Double-barrelled Rifles, Single-barrelled Bolt Action Rifles and pistols.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has intensified its efforts to completely eradicate drugs from Punjab. In a major initiative on Tuesday, the party announced the formation of a dedicated committee, 'Nasha Mukti Morcha', and launched a comprehensive awareness campaign against drug abuse by dividing Punjab into five strategic zones.

Punjabi actress and AAP leader Sonia Mann has been appointed as the coordinator for the Majha Zone. Nayan Chhabra has been appointed for Doaba, Jagdeep Jagga for Malwa East, Chuspinder Singh Chahal for Malwa West, and Sukhdeep Singh Dhilwan for Malwa Central Zone. Senior party leader Baltej Pannu has been appointed as the chief spokesperson for the Awareness Campaign Committee.

AAP Punjab President Aman Arora addressed the media about this matter alongside the committee members. Arora stated that the Aam Aadmi Party is committed to eliminating drugs from Punjab. "Our fight will continue until drugs are completely eradicated from Punjab," he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that the state government is making concerted efforts for ensuring the holistic development of youth of the state by providing several platforms to them.

Addressing the gathering after dedicating newly constructed Auditorium at District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), the Chief Minister said that this premier organization serves as a pivotal institution for enhancing the quality of elementary education in the region. He said that established in 1993, DIET Sangrur has played a key role in opening new vistas of employment for the youth. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that constructed at a cost of Rs 4.16 crore this 400 seat state of the art auditorium, is an engineering marvel, which is equipped with latest state of art technical equipment including Projectors, Air conditioners and others.

Mark Boucher, the former head coach of Mumbai Indians, believes the Hardik Pandya-led will approach Thursday’s IPL 2025 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home turf Wankhede Stadium with a big boost in confidence following their come-from-behind 12-run win over Delhi Capitals.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, DC were cruising in their chase of 206 by reaching 113/1 at the half-way mark. But after that, a spirited comeback from MI’s bowlers, led by leg-spinner Karn Sharma’s 3-36, along with a tactical ball change after the 13th over, helped them trigger DC’s batting implosion and register just the second win of the ongoing season.

MI are now back home to take on SRH, who are arriving after chasing 245 against Punjab Kings, with left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma slamming a blazing 141. “Mumbai Indians will be in a good space at the moment, especially after winning a close game. Sometimes in the competition, they have been on the losing end of the close games – I mean, the games they have lost have gone down the wire.”

“That’s why Hardik said if they had hit some (more runs), they would have been on the winning side and the result would have changed. So, it was nice for them to come from a situation where halfway, they would have struggled to get a positive result in this game.”

In a significant move to address the shortage of school principals and enhance the quality of education in government schools, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government of Punjab has increased the promotion quota for school Principals to 75%. This decision will pave the way for the appointment of 500 new principals across the state’s schools.

Under the previous Congress government, the quota for principal promotions was reduced to 50%, leading to a substantial shortage of principals in Punjab’s government schools. This change not only hampered the promotion opportunities for deserving senior educators but also resulted in critical vacancies due to delayed recruitment processes and legal disputes.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, successfully hosted Career Fair 2025 today bringing together top recruiters including Axis Bank, Fitelo, SkillKart, Prodesk, Akal Academy, Areness Law, CoderoidHub, and several others, offering a wide array of opportunities to students from B.Tech, MBA, MCA, BCA, M.Sc, B.Sc, BBA, M.Com, BA, MA, and Diploma programs from the 2024 and 2025 graduating batches. Over 350 students participated enthusiastically in various recruitment rounds including aptitude tests, coding assessments, and personal interviews, with some companies offering CTCs as high as ₹11 LPA across domains such as IT, Finance, Healthcare, Education, and Digital Marketing.  The inaugural ceremony was graced by the esteemed presence of the University leadership including Dr. Sukhwinder Singh Billing (Dean Academic Affairs), Dr. Tejbir Singh (Registrar), Dr. Navdeep Kaur (Dean Research), and Dr. Sarpreet Singh (Dean Alumni). Dr. Kamaljit Kaur, Incharge of Training and Placement Cell, expressed immense pride in the Fair’s success, stating that the event not only created meaningful industry connections but also empowered students to take confident strides toward their career goals, thanking the recruiters, faculty, and volunteers for their collective effort. Prof. (Dr.) Prit Pal Singh, Vice Chancellor of the University, applauded the initiative as a shining example of academic-industry collaboration, emphasizing the University’s commitment to providing holistic development and industry exposure to students. He congratulated the participants for their proactive engagement. The event reaffirmed the University’s mission to bridge the gap between education and employment. The Training and Placement Cell is highly committed to facilitating such impactful opportunities in the future.

As Singaporeans prepare to head to the polls on May 3, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday that "Singaporeans should decide on the team to lead our nation" at this critical juncture.

"The global conditions that enabled Singapore's success over the past decades may no longer hold," Wong said in a Facebook post, adding that this is why he has called the general election.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wong advised President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to dissolve the parliament, officially triggering the election process, news agency reported. The Nomination Day will take place on April 23, when political parties will announce their final slate of candidates contesting across Singapore's 33 constituencies.

As the race for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 intensifies through the ongoing Qualifier, several standout performers have been rewarded with significant leaps in the latest ICC Women’s ODI Rankings — a testament to their match-winning contributions on the big stage.

Leading the pack is West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews, who continues to stake a strong claim for the No.1 all-rounder spot currently held by Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner. Matthews has been in imperious form in Pakistan, smashing an unbeaten century and picking up 10 wickets in her first three games.

Her all-round brilliance has elevated her to 432 rating points, narrowing the gap on South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp (444) and Gardner (470), and firmly placing her ahead of England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt (375), who sits fourth.

India and US are working to sign the first tranche of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) to bring down tariffs before the agreed timeline of the fall of 2025 as the the terms of reference for the pact have already been finalised.

"India and US Bilateral Trade Agreement BTA terms of reference have been finalised when the US team was here. The first tranche negotiations will start virtually on the various chapters within this week, and the talks in the physical mode may start at the end of the month," Additional Secretary, Commerce, Rajesh Agarwal said on Tuesday.

"India has decided to go for a path of trade liberalisation with the US," Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told journalists.

Two health workers affiliated with Pakistan's anti-polio campaign were abducted by unidentified gunmen in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district, where armed men intercepted a passenger bus en route to Dera Ismail Khan and forcibly took the two workers -- Raz Muhammad and Muhammad Asif -- to an unknown location, a local police official said.

The victims were returning from official duties related to the country's polio eradication campaign, police said.

Law enforcement agencies have launched a search and rescue operation in the area. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction, news agency reported.