An encounter between security forces and terrorists broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Saturday, police said.

"Based on specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists, a joint search operation was launched by security forces at village Kog in Billawar area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir," a police official said.

"Contact has been established and a few rounds have been fired from both sides. Area cordoned off," the official said.

The exchange of fire in the Jammu region came hours after an encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in the Kulgam district of the Kashmir Valley. Two terrorists were reportedly killed and five security personnel were injured.

To further enable Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) access global markets, the India SME Forum (ISF) on Saturday launched a new initiative to help them export in just eight weeks.

The programme, titled ‘Start Exporting in Eight Weeks’, will work with e-commerce export leaders like Amazon towards promoting ‘Make in India’ products.

Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and MSMEs, said that MSMEs play a crucial role in contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, and their success is essential to our nation’s journey towards becoming a developed and self-reliant India.

“In today’s highly competitive landscape, skilling and upskilling are critical, and it is vital that our products meet international, export-quality standards,” said the minister at an event.

Through platforms like the ‘India SME Forum’ along with its partners like Amazon and UPS, etc and the new initiative launched today, our entrepreneurs will be connected to global markets, opening up new avenues for growth and collaboration. Let us utilize these opportunities to the fullest and continue striving for global excellence,” Karandlaje explained.

Entering the sparkling galaxy of Hindi film music with the haunting "Aayega Aanewala" ("Mahal", 1949) for ethereal Madhubala, Lata Mangeshkar became the definitive voice of several generations of legendary Indian film heroines, from Meena Kumari to Madhuri Dixit, Nargis to Neetu Singh, Padmini to Parveen Babi, and Sharmila Tagore to Sridevi.

As the voices of singing superstars such as Noor Jahan and Suraiyya were stilled due to emigration or premature retirement and changing tastes made the likes of Shamshad Begum obsolete, Lata Mangeshkar, who was born on this day (September 28) in what was then the princely state of Indore in 1929 in a family that made its mark in music, ably filled the gap with other superlative talent.

To this end, she gamely surmounted what Dilip Kumar once gently mocked as the "dal-chawal" flavour of her Urdu, to achieve perfect diction in that expressive language to fashion magic in thousands of songs she rendered for a gamut of talented music composers and lyricists.

Let us revisit this superlative voice of Lata Mangeshkar through the immortal songs that she sang for divas of the silver screen down the ages, though this effort can be highly subjective.

Do we choose the pensive "Zindagi Bhar Nahi Bhoolegi Woh Barsaat ki Raat" or the daring "Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya" for Madhubala, the soothing "Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi", or the carefree "Panchi Banu Mast Phiru Mast Gagan Mein" for Nargis, the effervescent "Mere Naseeb Mein Tu Hai Ki Nahi" or "Ae Dil-e-Nadaan' for Hema Malini?

South African police have launched a manhunt after 17 people were shot and killed in the Eastern Cape Province, authorities on Saturday.

The Eastern Cape provincial government confirmed in a statement that the "catastrophic incident" occurred in the town of Lusikisiki in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"In one house, 13 people were killed which include 12 women and one man. In another homestead, four people were also killed," said Athlenda Mathe, the national spokesperson of the South African Police Service (SAPS), in a separate statement, news agency reported.

At least nine people have died and 48 went missing after an illegal migrant boat capsized off the island of El Hierro, Spain's maritime rescue service confirmed on Saturday.

Another 27 people were rescued, according to the maritime rescue's X account.

The rescue is still going on with several vessels and a helicopter searching for the missing.

The government on Saturday said it is working on nearly 100 rules and laws of various departments to bring ‘Jan Vishwas 2.0’ bill to achieve a greater ease of doing business environment in the country.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said in a statement that the work is being done as the priority area under the first 100-day thrust of the present government.

To support the “Make in India” initiative, the government enacted the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023.

With the primary objective of decriminalising minor offences across 42 Central Acts, the Act eliminates 183 criminal provisions across 19 Ministries/Departments.

On the 117th birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Desh Bhagat University solemnly honors his unparalleled courage, unwavering patriotism, and ultimate sacrifice for the nation. His fearless spirit and visionary ideals continue to ignite our collective conscience, dwelt on the fight against slavery by the Indian martyrs and asked the students to fight against the evils of indiscipline, lethargy and subservience to the allurements that distract us in the present day life. Dr. Zora Singh Chancellor and Dr Virinder Singh advisor to chancellor of DBU paid tribute to Shaheed Bhagat Singh and explained in detail the life and sacrifice of Shaheed Bhagat Singh who went on to sacrifice his life for the cause of the freedom of Mother India from British rule . He referred to the heroics of young revolutionary by telling about the determination of the martyr and his fellow revolutionaries to work towards the goal of a free and independent India . At last Er Sudip Mukherji, Dr Kulbhushan,Naresh Kumar, Parvin Kumar and other faculty members paid tribute to Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Veteran Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, who hosts the quiz based reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 16’, has shared his story of struggle with regards to the content on OTT.

The senior actor said that there’s a lot of content on the medium to OTT to keep up with. He also said that films are largely meant to be seen on the big screen considering the hard work of a film's crew.

The upcoming episode of the show features Kishor Aher from Bid, Maharashtra, who is a dedicated librarian preparing for a competitive exam. He shared his dream of establishing an educational institute in his village to honour his grandfather.

In a light-hearted exchange about watching movies on the big screen, Big B said, “It often happens that when I go to watch a film, I read the title beforehand, but if someone asks me a month later which movie I watched, I forget the name. I mention this because nowadays, there is an overwhelming abundance of films. Whether on mobile or in theatres, there are countless options everywhere”.

Kishor shared, "We usually watch movies on our mobile devices”, to which Amitabh Bachchan replied, "I find it difficult to watch on such a small screen; it feels a bit strange. We’ve worked hard to enjoy films on the big screen, Hum bade parde ke liye bane hai, and there’s something truly special about watching a film in the theatres”.

At least 81 persons in the Bettiah and Nawada districts of Bihar fell sick after consuming poisonous food.

“Eleven children, aged 2 to 5, and a woman fell sick after consuming food poisoning at an Anganwadi centre in Mahuli village in Nawada district,” said Dr Ajay Kumar, the Deputy Superintendent of Sadar Hospital Nawada.

He said that the incident occurred during the midday meal at the centre, where Khichuri (a rice and lentil dish) was prepared for the children.

He further explained that after eating the meal, the victims’ health deteriorated, and they were rushed to the hospital for treatment.
“Fortunately, their conditions are currently stable. Upon investigation, it was discovered that a dead lizard was found in the Khichuri, which likely caused the food poisoning,” Kumar said.

In another similar incident, around 70 students fell sick at an engineering college in Bettiah, West Champaran, where a dead lizard was also found in a meal served at the hostel, raising concerns over food safety practices in Bihar's public institutions.

Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in Nepal have claimed at least 59 lives and injured 36 others by Saturday afternoon, local police said.

A total of 44 others had gone missing in the disasters sparked by rainfalls since Friday evening, and the police had rescued 1,252 people from different parts of Nepal, said Dan Bahadur Karki, Nepali Police spokesperson.

"Of the total casualties, 34 deaths were from the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley,"

"At least 17 people were missing while 16 others were injured in the valley."