Actor Raghav Juyal, who was recently seen in ‘Kill’, is celebrating Maha Shivratri with deep devotion as he paid a visit to the sacred Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga Temple in Trimbak, Maharashtra, to offer his prayers.

He was seen dressed in a simple kurta and pants, he embraced the spiritual essence of the occasion, participating in rituals with quiet reverence.

Reflecting on the festival’s significance, Raghav shared, “In Uttarakhand, Maha Shivratri feels just like Diwali, with an air of excitement and devotion everywhere”.

He further mentioned, “There is a temple called Gopeshwar where I used to perform special pujas with my family every year. However, due to work commitments, I couldn’t travel this time, so I chose to come here instead to seek Baba’s blessings”.

The 45-day-long Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest and most spiritually significant events in the world, came to a spectacular close on Wednesday as millions of devotees gathered at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj for the final 'Amrit Snan' (holy dip) on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri.

With chants of "Har Har Mahadev" echoing through the sacred grounds, over 1.32 crore pilgrims took part in the ritual, marking the culmination of this grand spiritual gathering.

The event, which began over a month ago, saw a steady stream of devotees from across India and beyond flocking to Prayagraj to bathe in the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati rivers. As the sun rose on Maha Shivratri, the holy waters of the Sangam became a symbol of divine purification, with devotees immersing themselves in the belief that this sacred act would cleanse their souls and grant them blessings from Lord Shiva.

The scale of the Maha Kumbh Mela this year has been unparalleled. Official reports confirm that over 65 crore people have visited Prayagraj during the 45-day event, making it one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The festival has not only captured the imagination of devotees but has also garnered extensive international media coverage.

A team of international researchers has developed a new blood test that could predict the risk of about 30 age-related conditions like lung cancer and heart disease that can appear decades later.

The blood test measures the age of different organs of the human body to predict the risk. The team including from the UK, France, and the US said the quick and easy blood test identifies whether a specific organ is ageing faster than expected -- an advance that may pave the way for personalised prevention and treatment methods.

The findings based on 20 years of follow-up data revealed that a heart that aged more rapidly predicted a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, while accelerated lung ageing predisposed people to respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.

The highest risk of dementia was found in those whose immune systems aged faster than usual. Similarly, people with accelerated kidney ageing were more likely to later develop vascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases, while biological ageing of nearly all organs predicted an increased risk of kidney disease.

National Periodontist Day was celebrated in collaboration with the Dentistry Club by the Department of Periodontics at Desh Bhagat Dental College & Hospital, an integral part of Desh Bhagat University. The day marked the foundation of the Indian Society of Periodontology (ISP), which aims to promote and enhance knowledge and science of Periodontology in India. This year’s celebration was extra special, as ISP is commemorating its 50th Anniversary, the Golden Jubilee Year of its establishment.The one-day celebration evolved into a full week of events, featuring various activities and competitions for both patients and students. These included awareness lectures, dental camps, a Rangoli competition, a face painting competition, a Happy Smile contest, and a Reel making contest. Students and staff members actively participated throughout the week, contributing to the success of the celebration.The inaugural ceremony took place at the Department of Periodontics, where the esteemed Chancellor, Dr. Zora Singh, and Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Tajinder Kaur, inaugurated the event by releasing golden-colored balloons into the sky, symbolizing the Golden Jubilee celebration of ISP. The dignitaries were formally welcomed in the Department of Periodontics, followed by a cake-cutting ceremony. Chancellor Dr. Zora Singh and Pro-Chancellor Dr. Tajinder Kaur distributed gifts and certificates to the competition winners, congratulating them on their achievements and sharing inspiring words about the significance of Periodontist Day. The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Vikram Bali, Principal of Desh Bhagat Dental College. The celebration provided a wonderful platform to raise awareness about Periodontology and the vital role of periodontists in maintaining oral health.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised the significant issue of losses being suffered by Punjab’s industry and trade due to the closure of the Haryana-Punjab border highway. The party stated that the BJP government at the center not only wants to destroy Punjab’s farmers but is also trying to ruin the state's trade.

Addressing a press conference at the party office in Chandigarh on Tuesday along with AAP leader Pranav Dhawan, party spokesperson Neel Garg said that Punjab’s traders and businessmen are facing massive economic losses due to the border closure. Some of their representatives even met Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and requested the reopening of the highway.

Neel Garg said that this situation has arisen because Punjab’s farmers have been continuously sitting on the border for the past year, but the BJP government at the center is not listening to their demands at all. The BJP wants Punjabis to turn against each other so that the movement weakens and ends on its own.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has proposed holding Class 10 board exams twice a year, starting from the academic year 2026. The board has published draft guidelines for conducting these exams twice annually, and it is inviting suggestions from stakeholders and the public via its official website.

In an official notice, the CBSE said: "National Education Policy, 2020 has recommended that students will be given an opportunity to improve their performance in Board examinations."

This was further discussed in a meeting chaired by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, where it was proposed that two board exams be held starting from the 2025-2026 academic year for Class 10 students.

A draft policy has been released by the CBSE, and the board has called for feedback from all stakeholders, including schools, teachers, parents, students, and the public. "This draft Policy be hosted on CBSE Website for getting responses from all stakeholders, i.e. schools, teachers, parents, students, and others (General Public etc.). Accordingly, the draft Policy has been developed after wider discussions and is available on CBSE website, cbse.gov.in. Stakeholders may respond to the Draft Policy by 09.03.2025. The responses would be scrutinised and policy finalised," the official notice added.

Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey both claimed a couple of wickets in an over each to land early blows as Delhi Capitals overcame a late charge by Bharti Fulmani, who struck 40 not out off 29 balls, to restrict Gujarat Giants to 127/9 in 20 overs in their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday.

The pacers ruled the day for Delhi Capitals with Kapp claiming 2-17, Shikha Pandey bagging 2-18 and the experienced Annabel Sutherland taking 2-20 as Delhi Capitals, after electing to bowl first, capitalised on the slight green tinge on the pitch and the seaming conditions kept pegging at the Gujarat Giants' innings. The spinners maintained the good work in the middle overs as Delhi Capitals raised hopes of restricting Gujarat to less then 100.

But Bharati Fulmani hammered two sixes, the only two maximums of the innings, and four boundaries in her 29-ball 40 not out to give them some hope and respectability to the Gujarat Giants total.

The move to promote Harleen Deol (5,10b 1x4) to the opener's slot did not work for Gujarat Giants as Kapp sent her back in the fourth over, getting her to edge behind to keeper Sarah Bryce for five, Kapp struck again two balls later when she removed Phoebe Litchfield (0) as Gujarat Giants slump to 16/2.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President Aman Arora, replying to LoP Pratap Singh Bajwa in the Vidhan Sabha today, addressed baseless allegations of corruption and reiterated AAP’s unwavering commitment to clean and transparent governance. 

Highlighting the sequence of events surrounding the vigilance FIR that Bajwa mentioned, Arora clarified that neither AAP nor its leaders are implicated. He underscored the party's dedication to justice and integrity, emphasizing his duty to defend honest colleagues and hold wrongdoers accountable.

“I stand here with utmost sincerity to state that our party and its leaders have always upheld honesty and accountability. False narratives and baseless allegations cannot deter us from our commitment to serve the people with integrity. If my colleague is honest, I wil

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP government for meting out step motherly treatment to the state thereby trying to jeopardise development and progress of Punjab.

Taking part in discussions on the floor of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Minister, while Citing the stalling of funds of RDF, said that it reflects the discriminatory attitude of the Union government against Punjab and Punjabis. He said that the centre government leaves no stone unturned to defame Punjab and recent landing of US planes carrying deportees in Amritsar despite the fact that most of them were from other states is an example of it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he had vehemently opposed it and sole motive was to tarnish the image of state the plane carrying deportees is being landed here without any rationale.

The Chief Minister said that if the plane carrying former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shiekh Haseena can be landed at Hindon airport then why can’t this plane be taken to any other part of the country. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that illegal immigration is not only the problem of Punjab but it is a national problem whereas projection is being made that Punjab is severely affected by this so only Punjabis were being deported from the United States. He said that such an attitude towards the state is intolerable, unwarranted and undesirable as we cannot compromise with the dignity and pride of the state.

In a significant decision, the Punjab Government has appointed chairpersons and trustees for Improvement Trusts in 20 districts, including Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka, Moga, and Pathankot. Rajwinder Kaur Thiara has been entrusted with the chairpersonship of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust. Along with Thiara, Dr. Jasbir, Harcharan Singh Sandhu, and Atma Prakash Bablu have been appointed as trustees of the Improvement Trust.

On this appointment, Rajwinder Kaur Thiara expressed her gratitude to party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. She said that she would perform the responsibilities assigned to her by the party with utmost diligence. She added that every worker in the Aam Aadmi Party is treated equally and respected, and every worker gets the reward for their hard work. She said that she had been inspired by Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann’s message to take everyone along and move forward, and she would follow that inspiration.

In Ludhiana, Tarsem Bhinder has been appointed as the chairperson of the Improvement Trust. Megh Chand Shermajra has been appointed as the chairperson in Patiala, with Gulzar Patialvi, Sunny Patiala, and Veerpal Chahal appointed as trustees.

In Hoshiarpur, Gurwinder Singh Pabla has been appointed as chairperson, with Satwant Singh and Balwinder Singh Soni as trustees.