New Delhi: India has moved a step closer to a major defense deal with France on 114 Rafale fighter jets as the country has finalized the Letter of Request (LoR) for the acquisition of the 4.5 generation multirole jet for the Indian Air Force.“The LOR is ready and is expected to be sent to France in a few weeks,” defense sources said. times of India. The LOR is a formal government-to-government document used to initiate major defense acquisitions under international frameworks such as foreign military sales or intergovernmental agreements. The first estimate of the mega deal is around Rs 3.25 lakh crore.Under the proposed deal, about 90 of the 114 fighter aircraft are planned to be manufactured in India through a partnership between French company Dassault Aviation and an Indian firm under the Make-in-India initiative. The remaining 24 aircraft are expected to be delivered from France in flying condition. The indigenous content of Jet will be around 50%.IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is scheduled to visit France in early June, just ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the country from June 15 to 17 for the G7 summit. Singh’s visit will finalize this mega deal. The final contract, which is expected by the end of this year, will be signed after final price negotiations and approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).Apart from the deal for 114 Rafale jets, the Navy is separately purchasing 26 Rafale maritime aircraft from Dassault for carrier operations, the agreement for which was signed on April 28 last year. The IAF is already operating 36 Rafales received under a September 2016 inter-governmental agreement.India’s Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme, under which 114 fighter jets will be procured, aims to address the critical capability gap in the Indian Air Force and check the declining strength of its fighter squadrons, which have shrunk from the ideal 42.5 squadrons to a worrying 29, which are required to effectively deal with the two-front security threat from Pakistan and China.At a time when Pakistan is in the process of acquiring 40 J-35 5th generation fighter aircraft, India is pressurizing Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to expedite the delivery of Tejas aircraft under two contracts with the Indian Air Force. Earlier, Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had said that he expected HAL to deliver 10 Tejas MK-1A fighter jets within this financial year.With the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) expected to be ready and enter service by 2035, the government’s urgent need for a stealth platform has brought Russia’s Su-57 back into focus.For the AMCA programme, the government has shortlisted three domestic private sector contenders for prototype development and manufacturing: a consortium led by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and a consortium led by Bharat Forge.

In today’s fast-paced T20 cricket, batsmen are happy scoring runs by any means. While clean drives and big sixes are the most enjoyable shots for batsmen, the aggressive nature of the format often forces players to hit false shots. Nevertheless, some batsmen have managed to combine aggressive cricket with remarkable control.KL Rahul He has been one such batsman for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. The opening batsman scored 593 runs in 14 matches at an average of 45.61 and a career-best strike rate of 174.41. His season included a century, a record unbeaten 152 against Punjab Kings – the first 150-plus score by an Indian in IPL history – and five fifties.Rahul has also hit 31 sixes this season, which is the second most by a DC batsman after Rishabh Pant, who hit 37 sixes in the 2018 season.According to Cricviz quoting news agency ANI, despite batting at a high strike rate, Rahul has the lowest foul shot percentage this season at 12.1. This means that about 88 percent of his shots connected properly.His closest players are Dhruv Jurel Rajasthan Royals and Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad, both have a foul shot percentage of 12.6.Jurel scored 458 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of over 149, including five fifties, while Klaasen scored 606 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of over 159 with six fifties.Rajasthan Royals batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi has also shown impressive control despite his aggressive style. The 15-year-old has scored 583 runs in 14 matches at an average of 41.64 and a strike rate of over 232, which includes one century, three fifties and 53 sixes. His false shot percentage is 17.8, which is at par with Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore.On the other hand, some batsmen have posted strong numbers despite making more mistakes. This season, Cooper Connolly of Punjab Kings has the highest false shot percentage of 25.6. So far, he has scored 491 runs in 13 innings at an average of 44.63 and strike rate of 163.12, which includes one century and two fifties.Gujarat Titans’ orange cap holder Sai Sudarshan has a false shot percentage of 18.1. He has scored 638 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 157.92 with one century and seven fifties, and has managed to make the most of his scoring opportunities despite a high error rate.

A top neurosurgeon has been suspended after a medical tribunal found that he had sex with a vulnerable female patient and repeatedly gave her addictive painkillers without proper records or safeguards.Chirag Patel, a consultant at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, was suspended for eight months after admitting an affair and sending explicit photographs to a patient, as well as prescribing controlled medicines including diazepam and an opioid-based drug. Patel first treated the woman, referred to as Patient A, in February 2019, when he underwent surgery to remove damaged spinal disc tissue. They later operated on him again in August 2019 and December 2021 and inserted a spinal cord stimulator in the third procedure.Shortly after the initial surgery, the doctor began a sexual relationship with the patient, which continued alongside his clinical involvement. He later described the situation as something he “bitterly regretted”.It came under scrutiny in 2023 after the relationship deteriorated. The patient reported the matter to police, who informed Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.Patel admitted to sexual intercourse and exchanging explicit images, and admitted to prescribing medications, including diazepam and morphine sulphate pills, to the patient.The tribunal said he had shown a “reckless disregard for patient safety”, noting that he continued to prescribe controlled medications after missing appointments and failed to properly document treatment decisions.Patel believed that the patient could expose their relationship, which he claims made him feel pressured and made him fear losing his career.He said: “I was afraid that if he did that I might lose the job I loved so much and had worked so hard to get. Given my expertise, if I was unable to work it would have a bad impact on other patients. With the benefit of hindsight I know I should still have ended the relationship and been honest with my employer. However, at the time I was nervous and unable to break it off – a decision I now deeply regret.”He also told the tribunal that the patient had previously demanded money and threatened to report him, claiming: “Patient A had previously demanded £11,000, which I didn’t have, so I offered him £5,000 from my savings instead.”Despite his defense arguing that the relationship was tainted by threats and blackmail, the tribunal found that Patel’s misconduct was persistent and a serious breach of professional standards.General Medical Council barrister Robin Kitching argued that the doctor should be removed, saying there was a risk of recidivism due to the lack of full information about his actions.However, the panel acknowledged that Patel had shown “genuine remorse, a high level of insight and substantial improvement”, reducing the risk of repeating his behaviour. It ruled that an eight-month suspension was necessary to mark the seriousness of the case and maintain public confidence.Cardiff and Vale University Health Board confirmed that Patel no longer works for the organisation.

Laura Loomer (left) Tulsi Gabbard (right)

Far-right activist Laura Loomer and former congresswoman clash on social media Tulsi Gabbard Loomer accused Gabbard of “pretending to be a Christian” over a Bible verse she shared online.The controversy began when Gabbard posted a Bible verse on Instagram that read: “My eyes are on you, O Lord, my God; in you I take refuge – Psalm 141:8”.Loomer responded to the post and questioned Gabbard’s religious identity in an online rant.“It’s really interesting how Tulsi Gabbard pretends to be a Christian. If you remember, she did the same at Charlie Kirk’s memorial,” Loomer wrote on X.“Tulsi is a lifelong Hindu. Yet no one knows this. “He should embrace it,” Loomer said.Loomer also shared a screenshot from Gabbard’s YouTube channel showing highlights from their Hindu Vedic wedding ceremony. The video description reads: “Here are some highlights from Tulsi’s beautiful Hindu Vedic wedding on April 9, including the walk down the aisle and a fire ceremony that ended with a lively yoga kirtan.”Gabbard practices Hinduism and is recognized as the first Hindu member of the US Congress. He was raised in a multicultural family with Hindu spiritual influences. She has often spoken publicly about how Hindu teachings have shaped her life and politics. He took the Congress oath on the Bhagavad Gita and has often discussed concepts such as karma, selfless service, spirituality and meditation during political campaigns and interviews.Meanwhile, Loomer is known in the US for radical far-right activism and support of Christian nationalist, MAGA politics. Over the past few years, he has faced criticism for inflammatory comments about Islam and immigration. He has previously described Islam as “cancer” and supported restrictions on Muslim immigration, leading to a backlash over his comments and a temporary ban from major social media platforms. Loomer has also faced criticism for her comments about Indians and the H-1B visa program. He argued that foreign workers on H-1B visas underpay American workers by accepting lower wages.Loomer apologized for some comments during a visit to India earlier this year but continued to oppose the visa system.

TOI correspondent from Washington: In an already busy week of US-Iran peace talks, the energy crisis and Trump’s visit to China, few expected the hottest geopolitical confrontation to involve Marco Rubio, the Taj Mahal, and an Iranian consulate armed with architectural claims and Persian pride.The latest chapter of US-Iran adversarial diplomacy began innocently enough when the US Secretary of State and his wife Zeenat visited the Taj Mahal in Agra on Sunday. Braving 45C temperatures, Rubio dutifully posed on the famous marble bench – which was so hot that his butt turned to bacon, someone noted – and described the Taj as “one of the true treasures of the world”.“I’ve never been there. I only knew about the casino in New Jersey that the president used to have,” Rubio joked to reporters, referring to Trump’s long-closed Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City.This should have been the end of it. Instead, Iran’s Consulate in Hyderabad chose to act as a troll patrol as if stopping Hormuz was not enough. “If Rubio had any knowledge of history or architecture, he would not have posed here,” the consulate posted onHistorians were quick to note that the problem was that the text of the Consulate’s history itself needed some historical fact-checking. Yes, Mumtaz Mahal – born Arjumand Banu Begum – was of Persian descent from her aristocratic family. But he was born not in Isfahan but in Agra. And while Persian influence is deeply embedded in Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal was hardly an exclusively Iranian project assembled by a team from Tehran.Architectural historians describe the Taj as one of history’s great multinational collaborations: Mughal patrons, Persian aesthetics, Indian craftsmen, Central Asian influences, Ottoman inspirations, and artisans from across the Islamic world all converged on Shah Jahan’s dream of flaming marble.The chief architect, widely believed to be Ustad Ahmed Lahauri, was from Lahore in undivided India, not modern Iran. Persian calligraphers and designers such as Amanat Khan Shirazi certainly contributed. But claiming that the Taj was only “built by Iranian architects” is like claiming that the samosa is exclusively Indian. Others pointed to the awkward identity politics inherent in the consulate’s flexibility. The present Islamic Republic is not actually the uncontested heir of the ancient Persian civilization, but rather the guardian of Las Vegas Roman democracy.The Taj Mahal, meanwhile, remains bipartisan catnip for visiting American dignitaries. Vice President J.D. Vance visited with his family last year. Ivanka Trump famously posed there during the first Trump administration. Trump himself visited the memorial with Melania during her 2020 visit to India, praising its grandeur, while perhaps privately wondering whether Atlantic City zoning laws had failed him.