Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Tim David has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee and suspended for one match after breaching the IPL code of conduct during RCB’s five-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.David, who scored 24 runs off 17 balls in the final, was found guilty of breaching Article 2.9 of the Code of Conduct, which relates to “throwing the ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) in an unfair and/or dangerous manner at any player, team official, umpire, match referee or any other third person during a match.”This incident happened during the 10th over of Gujarat Titans’ innings. After the fall of the wicket, David threw a bag of ice towards on-field umpire Nitin Menon. Match referee Javagal Srinath awarded a penalty after David admitted the offense and accepted the punishment.This was David’s third Level 1 offense of the season. Earlier, he had received one demerit point in Match 20 and two demerit points in Match 54. The latest violation added two more demerit points, taking his total to five.Under IPL rules, a player who accumulates five demerit points receives a one-match suspension. As a result, David will miss the opening match of IPL 2027, whether he plays for RCB or any other franchise next season.The Australian batsman finished IPL 2026 with 305 runs in 16 matches and was part of the RCB team that successfully defended their title.RCB’s win over Gujarat Titans made them the third team in IPL history to retain the trophy after Chennai Super Kings (2010 and 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019 and 2020). The Bengaluru franchise also became the fourth team to win multiple IPL titles, joining Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who have five titles each, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won three.RCB captain Rajat Patidar also registered his name in the record books by becoming the first captain to win the IPL in his first two seasons as captain. He is the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to win consecutive IPL titles.

New Delhi: India expects fertilizer consumption to be lower during the kharif sowing season in view of the IMD’s below-normal monsoon forecast, a top government official said on Monday. He said that the demand for urea is now estimated at 190 lakh tonnes as against the earlier estimate of 194 lakh tonnes.Demand for diammonium phosphate (DAP) – another key soil nutrient – ​​has been reduced to 60 lakh tonnes from the earlier estimate of 66 lakh tonnes.Aparna Sharma, Additional Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, said that in view of the El Nino effect, the department had requested the Agriculture Ministry to re-evaluate the requirements. He said that the Ministry has informed about the reduction in demand for urea and DAP on the basis of regular interaction with the states.The official also said the government has issued a second global tender to import 17 lakh tonnes of urea despite a sharp rise in global prices to boost domestic supplies for the Kharif season. Sharma said that the global price of urea has increased from $ 447 per tonne to $ 947 per tonne in February.Meanwhile, Consumer Affairs and Food Department officials said there is surplus stock of rice, wheat and pulses to meet domestic demand and market intervention.Anupam Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, said the government has a buffer stock of pulses of about 43 lakh tonnes, which is more than double the stock recorded in May 2025.He said production of major horticultural crops like potato, tomato and onion is sufficient to meet domestic demand – potato production is 584 lakh tonnes as against 586 lakh tonnes in the last crop year; Tomato 227 lakh tonnes as against last year’s 205 lakh tonnes; And onion is 273 lakh tonnes as against last year’s 307 lakh tonnes.The government has also set a target of creating a buffer stock of 2 lakh tonnes of onion in 2026-27.Food department officials said that as of May 2026, the wheat stock in the central pool stood at 513 lakh tonnes, almost double the buffer standard set for July 1. Wheat procurement during the current Rabi marketing season has reached about 350 lakh tonnes and the procurement operation is continuing till June 30.Rice stock in the central pool stands at 397 lakh tonnes, almost three times the buffer stock required for July 1.

Kulgam: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while leading the “Drug Free Jammu and Kashmir Padyatra” in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday, said the Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to set up rehabilitation centers across the state to help drug addicts reintegrate into the society.Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the event, Sinha said the operation has largely disrupted the drug trafficking network across Jammu and Kashmir. “Our operation has broken the supply chain and those involved in drug trafficking are facing a tough time,” he said.Sinha said hundreds of people affected by drug addiction are contacting the national mental health helpline Tele-Manas Srinagar every day to seek treatment and counselling. He said the campaign has also encouraged public participation, with residents directly informing the police about drug-related activities in their areas.The LG said de-addiction centers are functioning in all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir and counselors have been deployed to provide psychological support and long-term treatment to people recovering from drug addiction.He said unlike many other parts of the country, where rehabilitation facilities are largely run by the private sector, the proposed centers in Jammu and Kashmir will be set up in the government sector and will be made available in every district.Addressing the gathering at the event, Sinha said that in the last 51 days, they have conducted a comprehensive, coordinated operation against narco-terrorists and drug traffickers.On April 11, Sinha had launched an intensive 100-day campaign under the Nasha Mukti Abhiyan to make Jammu and Kashmir “drug free”.The campaign includes massive awareness programs by the civil administration and police, destruction of poppy plantations, random urine testing of drivers and intense crackdown on drug networks.In the last 51 days since the launch of the campaign, 923 FIRs have been registered against alleged drug smugglers. Over 1,000 alleged drug smugglers have been arrested, with over 55 alleged drug smugglers detained.He said, “This campaign is directly attacking the financial backbone of terrorism. Every rupee spent on drugs fuels extremist violence, and narco-terrorists survive on that blood money. By disrupting the drug trade, we have cut off the lifeline that sustains terrorist networks.”According to “Prevalence and Pattern of Substance Abuse Disorders in Ten Districts of Kashmir”, a survey conducted by IMHANS Kashmir in 2023, there are an estimated 67,468 substance dependent persons in the valley. The survey states that heroin is the most commonly used opioid.

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

Ahmedabad: It is believed that the first Gujarati-speaking people to set foot in today’s Singapore were traders who accompanied British officer Stamford Raffles, who wrested Singapore from local rulers and laid the foundation of the city-state in 1819. Parul Trivedi-Shah, in her recently published book, “A Legacy in the Lion City: History of the Gujarati Community in Singapore”, writes that these traders were Parsi employees of Jumsetji Jijibhoy & Company, whose ships plied the Maritime Silk Road.As the book, supported by Singapore’s National Heritage Board, carefully chronicles more than 200 years of the community’s footprint on the city-state, what impresses is the tenacity of the early residents who built businesses, weathered the Japanese invasion of the island, and yet maintained a presence not only in business – their primary specialty – but also in the arts and literature, politics and public life, and education and philanthropy, which are closely linked with Singapore’s history.“I met with elderly community members, acquired historical records, correspondence and old documents to piece together the experiences of early residents – for example, Nagaradas Purushottamdas is believed to be the first known Gujarati Hindu to migrate to Singapore in the mid-1880s. His brothers Vadilal and Ojamshi also joined him in 1894,” says Trivedi-Shah.

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

Harakhchand Shah’s handwritten notes of 1894 describe the steamer’s route from the east coast of India to Penang in Malaysia and eventually to Singapore, strategically located on the straits linking the ‘spice islands’ to international maritime trade.History also shows that the enterprise transcended the boundaries of religion or caste: from Gujarati Sunni Muslims who arrived in Singapore in 1837 to Dawoodi Bohras in the 1860s and Banias in the 1880s, every community had a role. The Parsis, Muslims, Hindus and Jains who made the island their home base, and the Gujarati community of 4,000–5,000 members today, are a testament to the vibrancy of the culture, celebrate Diwali and Navratri and actively participate in Singapore’s social and political affairs.

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

Trivedi-Shah says, “Singapore has seen businessman Neil Parekh and academician Professor Kalyani Mehta nominated to Parliament, in addition to a number of prominent doctors, businessmen, artists and professionals, who are gaining prominence in Singapore society. The Singapore Gujarati Society serves as a hub of activities, including organizing community and social activities, while the Singapore Gujarati School teaches the Gujarati language to children.” “Gujarat is the land of lions, and Singapore is known as the City of Lions. Thus, it is a unique blend of beliefs and identities.”

200 years of Gujarati heritage in Singapore

A Florida man died when his Tesla left the roadway while operating in Autopilot mode, struck a power box and plunged into a pond.The fatal crash happened near Tampa last month at about 8:10 p.m. The Florida Highway Patrol said an 87-year-old man was driving a Tesla Model Y when the vehicle left the road east of Infinite Drive before entering a nearby pond and becoming completely submerged. Emergency personnel removed both occupants from the vehicle and took them to the hospital. The driver later died from his injuries, while the 75-year-old woman traveling with him survived without any life-threatening injuries. The Tesla was operating with Autopilot at the time of the accident. However, investigators have not said how they determined the system was activated or what caused the vehicle to go off the road.The speed limit in the area is 30 mph. Officials have not said whether speed, a medical emergency, driver actions or the vehicle’s systems played a role in the incident. It is also unclear how long the Tesla remained underwater before rescuers arrived.The identities of the driver and passenger have not been released and the investigation is ongoing.The crash has again drawn attention to Tesla’s driver-assistance technology, which has faced increasing legal and regulatory scrutiny in recent years.In a separate case in Florida, a federal judge recently upheld a $243 million jury verdict related to a 2019 crash involving a Tesla Model S equipped with Autopilot. The crash occurred in Largo and killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dylan Angulo. Jurors awarded $200 million in punitive damages to the victims and their families.Tesla argued during the trial that the driver was responsible and said it planned to appeal the verdict. The company has consistently stated that Autopilot requires active driver supervision and is not designed to replace human attention behind the wheel. The electric car maker has faced several lawsuits related to its driver-assistance features.Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to promote the future of autonomous driving technology.“Ten years from now, probably 90% of all distances driven will be driven by AI in a self-driving car. In 10 years it will be quite typical to actually drive your own car,” Musk said during a video appearance at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv last month.

New Delhi: Amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates are expected to join fellow BRICS members at the bloc’s second Cultural Working Group meeting in Varanasi on June 4-5. The conference will discuss the theme “Building Resilience, Innovation, Collaboration and Sustainability” with Artificial Intelligence and the repatriation of cultural property among the priority areas for discussion and consensus building.The Varanasi meeting is being considered important to pave the way for the ministerial talks to be held in Bhopal in August, with the Culture Ministry hoping that the members will be able to reach a consensus and give a statement on the thematic areas. The upcoming Working Group meeting assumes significance in the current geopolitical context, as it is taking place in the backdrop of the West Asia crisis. The first BRICS Culture Working Group meeting was held in virtual mode on 29-30 April. After the second meeting of the grouping in Varanasi, the third meeting of the CWG will be held in Bhopal on August 5-6, followed by the BRICS Cultural Fest on August 6-7 and the BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting (CMM) on August 7 and 8, also in Bhopal, Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal highlighted at a press conference. He also shared the roadmap and priority areas. The deliberations of the 2026 BRICS Culture Working Group are structured around three key thematic priorities: ‘Creative economy, cultural and creative industries, copyright and artificial intelligence’, ‘Cultural heritage protection and return of cultural property’ and ‘Culture, climate and sustainable development’.“These priorities reflect a commitment to innovation, ensuring ethical use of technology in cultural sectors, preserving cultural diversity, advancing heritage conservation and restoration cooperation, and engaging with the post-2030 global sustainable development agenda,” the culture ministry said in a statement.India has consistently played an active role in advancing cultural cooperation within BRICS. The Ministry of Culture hosted the BRICS meetings of Culture Ministers under the Indian chairmanship in Goa in 2016 and New Delhi in 2021, and is again playing a leading role in this strategic role in 2026.The BRICS Culture Working Group, which derives its mandate from the Agreement between the Governments of BRICS member states on cooperation in the field of culture signed in 2015, has over the years expanded cooperation in cultural heritage, creative industries, films, museums, archives and digital cultural ecosystems.BRICS brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia as full members, with 10 partner countries joining in 2025. The Group represents a platform for multilateral cooperation across the political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people pillars, collectively advancing a more inclusive and equitable international order.