Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday called for unified efforts to combat the drug menace, particularly in Punjab.

Addressing a gathering here, the Governor expressed concern with regard to the escalating drug abuse problem.

The Anti-Drug Programme, organised by the National Commission for Women, focused on raising awareness and fostering a collaborative approach to effectively combat this societal threat.

The Governor said while drug abuse is a nationwide issue, Punjab faces a disproportionately grave risk, making it a matter of immense concern.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said the government would provide government jobs to 200,000 youths on merit in five years.

“Over the past decade our government has provided government jobs to 1.71 lakh youths. Along with offering government jobs, the government has also implemented various schemes to help the youth set up their own businesses,” CM Nayab Singh Saini said.

Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indira Gandhi National College in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, the CM announced a grant of Rs 21 lakh for the college.

Congratulating professors, students and the management of the institution on completing 51 years, he said over its 50-year journey the institution has played a crucial role in shaping thousands of students into skilled and responsible citizens.

After a seven-wicket loss in the first T20I in Kolkata, England's top-order batter Harry Brook has emphasised the importance of maintaining relentless pressure on India’s bowling attack in the second game of the five-match series. The match will take place at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, with the visitors aiming to level the series at 1-1.

Brook candidly praised India’s performance in the opening game, admitting the hosts executed their plans exceptionally well. “India is a very good side, so we knew what they were gonna hit us with, and yeah, they played an exceptional game,” Brook said during a pre-match press conference.

Despite the setback, Brook remains optimistic and stressed that England’s philosophy under head coach Brendon McCullum, who is serving his first series as thenew white remains unchanged. “We just need to keep pushing, the same messaging Baz has been saying throughout. We need to look to put pressure on their bowlers and try to take wickets throughout their innings. You've always got to go a little bit above and beyond to exceed.”

A crime branch team of the Gurugram Police arrested five dreaded criminals after an encounter from Golf Course Extension Road on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, officials said.

The accused were in the city to commit theft, police said on Friday.

According to the police, they received information regarding four to five youths coming towards Golf Course Extension Road with illegal weapons, riding in a CNG auto-rickshaw to commit a crime.

Based on the information, a police team blocked the Golf Course Extension Road from Village Ghata to Faridabad Road. After some time, an auto rickshaw without a number plate was seen coming towards the police checkpoint. When the police team signalled the CNG auto rickshaw driver to stop the vehicle, the driver tried to escape by increasing the speed of the auto-rickshaw hitting the barricade and police vehicle.

"Five persons got down from the auto-rickshaw and started firing at the police team and ran towards the forest. During this, one bullet hit the bulletproof jacket of the in-charge of Crime Branch Sector-39, and one bullet hit the window of the police car," Inspector Vishwa Gaurav, In-Charge of Crime Branch Sector-39, said.

Ravindra Jadeja put on a vintage display of spin bowling on a turning track in Rajkot, taking a match haul of 12 wickets and steering Saurashtra to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory over Delhi inside two days in their Ranji Trophy Group D clash at Niranjan Shah Stadium.

The emphatic win kept Saurashtra firmly in contention for a knockout spot while leaving Delhi's chances hanging by a thread.

The match began with Saurashtra opting to bowl first on a rank turner, a deliberate move by skipper Jaydev Unadkat to exploit their spin strength. After bowling out Delhi for 188 runs in the first innings, Saurashtra posted a challenging 271 in their first innings, thanks to gritty contributions from their middle order.

Nine Turkish soldiers were killed and 11 others injured in attacks by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) targetting Turkish bases in northern Aleppo province, a war monitor said on Friday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF strikes hit bases on Thursday in the al-Hoshriya area. The SDF also struck a military gathering in the village of Atshana, south of Manbij, with casualty figures from that incident still unconfirmed, the Observatory said.

The Observatory said the SDF attacks appeared to be in retaliation for continued ground and air assaults by Turkish forces and allied factions against SDF-held areas in northern and eastern Syria.

On Thursday, Turkish warplanes reportedly bombed areas around the Tishreen Dam near Manbij, causing explosions and smoke plumes, though there were no immediate reports of casualties

The payroll data of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) released on Friday reveals that 16.07 lakh new employees were added in November last year out of which over 47 per cent are young employees up to the age group of 25 years, which is a good indicator of new jobs being created in the economy.

As many as 20,212 new establishments have been brought under the ambit of the ESI Scheme in the month of November 2024 thus ensuring social security to more workers, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

A 45-year-old tribal woman, aunt of Indian cricketer Minnu Mani, was mauled to death by a tiger on Friday in Mananthavady of Kerala's Wayanad district.

The deceased was identified as Radha, the wife of a temporary Forest Watcher.

Expressing deep pain over the demise of her aunt, Mani said she wished the killer tiger was taken to task.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed deep sadness over the incident.

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel on Friday reported a 70 per cent year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 717 crore for the October-December quarter of the current financial year, compared to the corresponding figure of Rs 2,450 crore for the same quarter of the previous financial year.

The steel major’s revenue from operations declined by over 1 per cent year-on-year to Rs 41,378 crore for the third quarter.

The company recorded its highest-ever quarterly crude steel production at 7.03 million tonnes during the period. Saleable steel sales stood at 6.71 million tonnes.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) came in at Rs 5,579 crore for the quarter, according to its quarterly filing.

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has expressed confidence in pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's leadership abilities and said he possesses the temperament and intelligence required to succeed as a captain.

Bumrah led India in the first and fifth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. India won the series opener in Perth by 295 runs, whereas in the last Test in Sydney, the visiting team suffered a six-wicket defeat.

“Purely based on his skill, without a doubt. Captaincy also depends on the captain-coach relationship and how their wavelengths align. If Bumrah gets the right support, like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had, he could grow into a great leader. He has shown that he has the temperament and intelligence needed to succeed as a captain," Bangar said in the latest episode of Star Sports' Deep Point.