Budget 2026-27 LIVE: Operation Sindoor: Major hike in defence spending

Bengal govt transfers 22 officers in IPS reshuffle

The West Bengal government has effected a major reshuffle in its IPS cadre, transferring and giving new postings to 22 officers, a notification said.

Chandannagar Commissioner of Police and Burdwan Range IGP Amit P Javalgi was posted as the IGP of Barasat Range.

DIG Traffic and Barasat Range DIG Alok Rajoria has now been posted as Burdwan Range DIG, the notification said on Saturday.

Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Kumar Sunny Raj was transferred and posted as special superintendent (SS), Intelligence Bureau, replacing Dhritiman Sarkar, who took over Raj's previous posting. Murshidabad's Beldanga had recently witnessed violence.

Among the other 18 officers who were transferred were CID SS Debjani Dutta, who was posted as Superintendent Railway Police (SRP) Sealdah, while Bangaon SP Dinesh Kumar was transferred and posted as Kolkata Police's North Division DC.

Kolkata Police DC North Dipak Sarkar was made DC South, replacing Priyabrata Roy, who was asked to take charge as Barasat SP in place of Pratiksha Jharkhariya, who was in turn appointed as Darjeeling SP.

Kolkata Police DC, East Division, Arish Bilal, was made SS, IB, West Bengal Police.

YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu arrested in Andhra for 'derogatory remarks' on CM

Andhra Pradesh Police have arrested senior YSRCP leader and former minister Ambati Rambabu here, following his alleged derogatory remarks against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

High drama unfolded on Guntur roads and also at Rambabu’s home for several hours on Saturday afternoon and running late into the night, where dozens of TDP leaders and cadres were seen ransacking the opposition leader’s house and vehicles, according to the footage aired on Telugu news channels.

Guntur district Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal confirmed to PTI that Rambabu, who was serving as irrigation minister in the previous YSRCP regime, has been arrested.

He was arrested amid tight security and chaotic conditions as hundreds of ruling party cadres were demanding Rambabu apologise for the alleged disparaging remarks against the TDP supremo.

Several ruling coalition leaders launched a broadside against Rambabu for his remarks.

Meanwhile, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP alleged that a murder attempt was made against Rambabu and said that his life was under grave threat following the "attack" by TDP supporters.

Reddy alleged that Andhra Pradesh has slipped into a state of ‘jungle raj’ and that Naidu is allegedly presiding over an atmosphere of lawlessness and political vendetta.

“Acts of violence and murder attempts against opposition leaders are increasing by the day and are being carried out deliberately to intimidate voices questioning the government,” said Reddy in a YSRCP press release.

15 Pakistani soldiers, 92 militants killed in security operations in Balochistan

At least 15 Pakistani soldiers and 92 militants were killed in multiple counter-terrorism operations carried out by security forces in restive Balochistan province, the army said on Sunday.

The operations were launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out attacks at several locations on Saturday, it said in a statement.

The army said the militants attempted to disturb peace by carrying out terrorist activities in and around Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.

Security forces and law enforcement agencies, remaining on high alert, responded swiftly and successfully foiled the militants’ attempts to disrupt peace, the statement said.

“Our valiant troops engaged the terrorists with precision and after prolonged, intense and daring clearance operations across Balochistan, killed 92 terrorists, including three suicide bombers," it added.

The militants also targeted civilians, killing 18 people, including women, children, the elderly and labourers, the army said.

Over 34,000 pilgrims visit Char Dham winter seats in Uttarakhand since shrine closure

Winter pilgrimage in Uttarakhand has gained momentum, with over 34,000 pilgrims visiting the winter seats of the Char Dham shrines since their closure.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the state a year ago to promote winter pilgrimage, and it is now progressing rapidly, a government statement said on Saturday.

The silence experienced after closure of the four shrines -- Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri -- for the winter season has been replaced by the hustle and bustle of the pilgrimage to the winter seats associated with the four shrines, such as Jyotirmath, Ukhimath, Mukhwa, and Kharsali.

According to the release, 34,140 pilgrims (from India and abroad) have visited these places since the closure of the Char Dham shrines this year, with more visitors expected for another two and a half months.

This pilgrimage was initiated in the year 2024-25, and 73,381 pilgrims visited Uttarakhand during the winter pilgrimage that year.

Dr Prajapati Nautiyal, Special Officer of the Char Dham Yatra Management and Control Organisation, said so far, the highest number of pilgrims, 20,338, have visited Ukhimath.

He said after Ukhimath, pilgrims have visited Jyotirmath, Kharsali, and Mukhwa.

Around 1,500 pilgrims visited these sites daily, he said.

Sunetra Pawar’s oath decision made without Sharad Pawar’s knowledge: NCP (SP) leader

NCP (SP) Maharashtra president Shashikant Shinde has claimed his party chief Sharad Pawar and other leaders had no prior knowledge about NCP leader Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in as the state's Deputy Chief Minister.

He also said that after the recent civic elections in the state, a decision was made to pursue the unification of the two parties.

Sunetra Pawar (62), wife of Ajit Pawar who died in a plane crash in Pune's Baramati town on January 28, was on Saturday sworn in as the first woman deputy CM of Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar did not have prior knowledge about her swearing-in, Shinde told reporters on Saturday.

“There had been discussions and meetings on the two NCPs coming together. But Ajitdada is no more. Some broad positions had been discussed earlier. Now, we will discuss what needs to be done and then make a decision. How others respond is their call,” he said.

On questions over the apparent haste in conducting Sunetra Pawar's swearing-in ceremony, Shinde said the answers should come from her family, senior party leaders, or the chief minister and his colleagues.

“Ajit Pawar’s passing is a great loss to Maharashtra. When the state is in mourning, why this decision was taken is not known to us. They will have to explain it,” he said.

Blast in Iran port city kills 1, wounds 14 before Strait of Hormuz naval drill watched by US

An explosion tore through an apartment building Saturday in Iran's port city of Bandar Abbas, killing a 4-year-old girl as local media footage purportedly showed a security force member being carried out by rescuers.

The blast happened a day before a planned naval drill by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. The US military has warned Iran not to threaten its warships or commercial traffic in the strait, on which Bandar Abbas sits.

State television quoted a local fire official as blaming the blast on a gas leak. Media reported at least 14 others injured in the explosion.

A local newspaper, Sobh-e Sahel, aired footage of a correspondent speaking in front of the building. The footage included a sequence that showed a man in a green security force uniform being carried out on a stretcher. He wore a neck brace and appeared to be in pain, his left hand covering the branch insignia on his uniform.

The newspaper did not acknowledge the security force member being carried out elsewhere in its reporting. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard did not discuss the blast, other than to deny that a Guard navy commander had been hurt. AP

Epstein files lead to resignation in Slovakia, calls in Britain for former prince to cooperate

Newly disclosed US government files on Jeffrey Epstein have prompted the resignation of a top official in Slovakia and revived calls in Britain for a former prince to share what he knows with authorities about Epstein's links to powerful individuals around the world.

The fallout comes just a day after the Justice Department began releasing a massive trove of files that offers more details about Epstein's interactions with the rich and famous after he served time for sex crimes in Florida.

The prime minister of Slovakia accepted the resignation on Saturday of an official, Miroslav Lajcak, who once had a yearlong term as president of the UN General Assembly. Lajcak wasn't accused of wrongdoing but left his position after photos and emails revealed he had met with Epstein in the years after Epstein was released from jail.

The disclosures also have revived questions about whether long-time Epstein friend Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, should cooperate with US authorities investigating Epstein.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday suggested Mountbatten-Windsor should tell American investigators whatever he knows about Epstein's activities. The former prince has so far ignored a request from members of the US House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein.

US President Donald Trump's Justice Department said it would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it collected during two decades of investigations involving the wealthy financier. AP

Firing outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's Mumbai residence

Unidentified persons opened fire outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence in western suburbs of Mumbai's Juhu, officials said on Sunday.

The incident took place in the early hours of the day following which security outside the building was intensified, an official said.

"Someone fired on the building. Zonal police and crime branch teams are investigating," the official said.

It was not immediately known whether the filmmaker was at his residence during the incident, he said.

According to initial reports, four rounds were fired at the building by unidentified persons, the official said, adding that there were no report of injuries to anybody.

Juhu Police and crime branch team rushed the spot and launched the investigation, he said.

Heavy police deployment has been kept in place outside the building and forensic science team has also reached the spot to collect evidence, he added.

India, Arab League nations back 2-state solution to Palestine issue

India and the Arab League nations on Saturday laid out a broader vision for deeper two-way ties, pitched for a sovereign and viable Palestine state living side-by-side with Israel and underlined the need for conducting international relations based on the UN charter.

At the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the two sides condemned cross-border terror and called on all countries to work collectively to combat terrorism, dismantle terror infrastructures and terror financing and bring the perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice without delay.

The India-hosted meeting saw the participation of 19 member countries of the Arab League, considered as an influential grouping.

A declaration unveiled at the end of the meeting said the two sides have agreed to strengthen joint efforts to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as they have strongly condemned the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam targeting innocent Indians.

It said the Arab League member countries have reaffirmed their full and steadfast support to India in confronting terrorism in all its forms.

FM to present Union Budget 2026 today

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will today present her ninth straight Budget, which is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including US tariffs.

The presentation of the Budget for April 2026 to March 2027 fiscal (2026-27) will be on Sunday, a first in independent India's history.