Blowing the bigul for launching a decisive war against drugs in the state, the former Delhi Chief Minister and National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced a mass movement against the menace from April 1.

Addressing a mammoth gathering here in Indoor Stadium, the former Delhi Chief Minister said that on April 1 more than three crore Punjabis will stand against the scourge of drugs by decimating a handful of smugglers who are ruining the generations of state for minting money. Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government will launch a mass movement against drugs on April 1 adding he urged every resident to be a soldier in this war against drugs. He said that every party worker will go to villages to eliminate drugs from the state, adding that this will be a decisive war against drugs.

National Convener of AAP also launched an anti-drug helpline number 9779100200 and exhorted the people to give any information related to selling of drugs in their area on this number. He said that the identity of the caller will not be disclosed to anyone but exemplary action against drug smugglers will be taken. Likewise, Arvind Kejriwal said that drug census will be conducted across the state to ascertain the extent of drugs prevalent in the state.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed a huge rally in Ludhiana, focusing on Punjab’s progress under AAP’s governance. Highlighting the fight against drug abuse, the renovation of the Civil Hospital, and the government’s decisive actions against corruption and organized crime, Kejriwal emphasized AAP’s dedication to building a prosperous and drug-free Punjab. He announced transformative initiatives like village sports grounds, anti-drone systems to counter cross-border drug smuggling, and a state-wide drug census to provide targeted rehabilitation for addicts.

Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal expressed gratitude to all those present at today’s rally in Ludhiana. During his address, he paid homage to the late Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Gogi, who passed away untimely. "I pray to God for peace to his soul," Kejriwal said solemnly.

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer is focused on creating history for the franchise by winning their first-ever title in the upcoming IPL 2025 season commencing on March 22.

Iyer was bought by Punjab for Rs 26.75 crore in last year's mega auction in Jeddah. He was named the captain of the franchise earlier this year. The stylish batter led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title in the 2024 season.

"From the moment I was picked in the auction, my desire has been clear - Punjab Kings haven’t won the IPL yet, and my goal is to lift the trophy for them. That would be a historic achievement, and I want to make the fans happy and give them a reason to celebrate. A Punjabi celebration at the end of the season would be something special," Iyer said on JioHotstar's Superstars.

Reminiscing about his first IPL memory, Iyer recalled being a ball boy at Wankhede Stadium for a match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008 when he was just 14 years old, saying, "I grew up playing street cricket in my area, and at that time, I was playing for Mumbai’s U-14 team. All the kids from the Mumbai squad were assigned to be ball boys, and I was lucky to be one of them. That was my first experience of IPL up close."

The Gurugram police have arrested two persons accused of fraudulently robbing a car and transferring money by pretending to be a car loan recovery agent from an individual, police said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Surender alias Salender and Sumit alias Sunny alias Langda, the residents of Gurugram.

Surender was arrested from Farukhnagar on Monday, and Sumit was arrested from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

As of now, a total of five accused persons have been arrested in connection with this case.

Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, during a gathering in Ludhiana, expressed his gratitude and admiration for Aam Aadmi Party's National Convenor, a visionary leader who has initiated groundbreaking reforms in education and healthcare across the nation. He commended Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his relentless dedication, which has brought a new sense of energy and enthusiasm to Punjab's development.

AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP Punjab President Aman Arora, Cabinet Ministers, AAP MLAs and many AAP leaders were present on the occasion.

The Rajasthan government is set to introduce three key innovations in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, focussing on sustainability and social impact.

Secretary of the Sports Department, Neeraj Kumar Pawan, announced that this year’s IPL in Jaipur will be organised as a Green IPL, ensuring a plastic-free environment throughout the matches.

In a unique initiative, the number of runs scored in the five IPL matches to be held at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium will determine the number of trees planted.

Given that both teams typically score around 400 runs per match, the government aims to plant 1,500 to 2,000 trees in and around the stadium, said Pawan.

Tech major Google on Tuesday announced to acquire Wiz, a leading cloud security platform headquartered in New York, for $32 billion in an all-cash transaction.

Once the acquisition is closed, Wiz will join Google Cloud. This acquisition represents an investment by Google Cloud to accelerate two large and growing trends in the AI era -- improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds (multi-cloud).

“From its earliest days, Google’s strong security focus has made us a leader in keeping people safe online. Today, businesses and governments that run in the cloud are looking for even stronger security solutions, and greater choice in cloud computing providers,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google.

“Together, Google Cloud and Wiz will turbocharge improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds,” Pichai added.

In a major blow to the international narcotics network, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a drug cartel with an arrest and recovery of 8.08 kg heroin, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday.

The arrested drug smuggler has been identified as Dharminder Singh, alias Sonu, a resident of village Harsha Chhena in Amritsar. Apart from recovering heroin and a .30 bore pistol along with five cartridges from his possession, police teams have impounded his car, which he was using to deliver consignments.

DGP Yadav said that the arrested person was in touch with cross-border drug smugglers, who were using the Ajnala sector to drop the drug consignments using drones from across the border.

Further investigations are ongoing to trace the backward and forward linkages in this case, he said.

As the final phase of the National Women’s Hockey League 2024-2025 begins here in Ranchi, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Association of Odisha and Hockey Madhya Pradesh had a successful outing as they registered a win in their respective matches.

In the first match of the day, Hockey Haryana defeated Manipur Hockey 7-1 in Pool A. Saavi (32’, 37’) and Kirti (45’, 56’) scored a brace each for Hockey Haryana. Khasa Shashi (11’), Supriya (54’) and Kirty (58’) also scored one goal each for their side. In response, Deena Devi Naoram (2’) scored the consolation goal for Manipur Hockey.

In the next match, Hockey Association of Odisha defeated Hockey Bengal 1-0 in a closely contested game. Dipika Barwa (3’) scored for Hockey Bengal in the first quarter of the match.

In the third match, Hockey Madhya Pradesh defeated Hockey Maharashtra 2-0 in Pool A. Bhumiksha Sahu (4’) and Captain Soniya Kumre (58’) scored for Hockey Madhya Pradesh in the first and final quarter of the game to take the game away from Hockey Maharashtra.

A 12-year-old girl on Tuesday confessed to having killed her four-month-old cousin sister by throwing her into a well near Kannur in Kerala.

On Monday night, the four-month-old girl, Yasika, daughter of Tamil Nadu natives Muthu and Akkamal, went missing after which a search was conducted.

After a few hours, Yasika's body was fished out from a well in her house.

After several rounds of questioning, the minor accused, the daughter of Muthu's brother, confessed to the crime.

After Muthu's brother passed away last year, the 12-year-old girl has been staying with his family.