"Huge Loss": US Threw Away India Ties For Tariff Policy, Says Ex US NSA

Former US National Security Advisor Susan Rice has said that India is a "proud and strong nation" that may "go in a different direction" because of the political approach taken by the Trump administration. She goes on to say that the distance created between the two countries is a "huge loss" for the US.

Speaking at an event organised by Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, earlier this week, Rice said that India has been "pushed into" being closer with Russia and China at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. She blamed US President Donald Trump for taking credit for the cessation of hostilities between South-Asian nations - India and Pakistan and worsening ties with New Delhi.

However, the relationship between the two countries seems to be on the mend. On Tuesday the US President called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to greet him on his 75th birthday. PM Modi also thanked him and called Trump his "friend".

"Thank you, my friend, President Trump, for your phone call and warm greetings on my 75th birthday. Like you, I am also fully committed to taking the India-US Comprehensive and Global Partnership to new heights. We support your initiatives towards a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict," PM Modi wrote.

Trump took to Truth Social to appreciate PM Modi's support on ending the Russia-Ukraine war. "Just had a wonderful phone call with my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I wished him a very Happy Birthday! He is doing a tremendous job. Narendra: Thank you for your support on ending the War between Russia and Ukraine! President DJT," he wrote.

Despite the growing warmth, Rice said that the Trump administration's strategy has disrupted the work of successive Democratic and Republican administrations since 30 years who "assiduously" tried to strengthen the US-India relationship. She attacked the current administration for throwing it away in a matter of weeks.

"I was going to say months, but it's really been weeks, we've thrown that away by virtue of a tariff policy ostensibly aimed at India's relationship with Russia over Ukraine, but in reality, it seems to be more about personal pique and the fact that when the president claimed credit for diffusing the conflict between India and Pakistan", the former NSA said.
 

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Afridi Reignites 'Dog Meat' Controversy, Targets Pathan In Angry Rant

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi called out ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan as tensions between the two cricketers continued. Pathan caused quite a stir when he revealed a war of words with Afridi during his playing days. Afridi, who is well known for making controversial comments, completely denied that Pathan made certain comments against him and challenged him to talk to him face to face. Afridi has been quite vocal about the ongoing 'handshake' controversy in the Asia Cup 2025 and his comments has caused massive harm to his credibility as an expert.

"Main usko mard manta hu jo samne khara hoke baat kare. Peeth peeche itni baat karni hain, lekin manu usko hi jo samne aake baat kare. Phir maja ayega na, jawab bhi de sake banda. (I believe them as competitors who can talk face to face. Anyone can talk behind the back, but I only like to face those who can talk in front of me. That would spice things up. I can also give the perfect reply)," Afridi said on Pakistani TV channel Samaa TV.

The controversy began when Pathan revealed a heated interaction between the two cricketers back in 2006. "During the 2006 tour, we were flying from Karachi to Lahore. Both teams were travelling together. Afridi came up and put his hand on my head and messed up my hair. He asked me how I am," Pathan told Lallantop.

"Abdul Razzaq was sitting with me then. I asked him what kind of meat is available here. He told me meat from different animals is available. After this, I asked whether dog meat was available. Razzaq was surprised to hear me and asked the reason behind my statement. I pointed at Afridi and said that he has eaten dog meat, that is why he is barking like one," Pathan further added.

Since then, Afridi has completely denied that Pathan made such a comment. Afridi even claimed that Razzaq has also made it clear that no such exchange took place between the two players.

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'Putin Let Me Down': Trump Admits Thinking Ukraine War Was "Easy To Solve"

US President Donald Trump claimed that his Russian counterpart let him down during the process of solving the Ukraine war. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also criticised Putin and said that he showed his "true face" with his biggest attack since the invasion.

Addressing a joint press conference with Starmer at Chequers, he confessed that even though he thought that the Russia-Ukraine war would be the "easiest" one to solve, it was not the case, however he said that he will ultimately resolve it.

Despite a summit between Putin and Trump at Alaska, during which the US leader urged the Russian president to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, a peace deal did not materialise.

"I thought the Russia-Ukraine war was the easiest to stop but Putin has let me down. I thought it may be easiest. As you know, we are working for a solution for Israel and Gaza, we are working to solve so many conflicts, we will get Israel-Gaza done, likewise, Russia and Ukraine will also be done, but you never know in war," Trump said.

He added, "I mean, frankly, Russian soldiers are being killed at a higher rate than the Ukrainian soldiers. But, yeah, he's let me down."

Before taking office, Trump had claimed that he would halt the war between Moscow and Kyiv in a day. 

Trump also suggested that Putin started the war in 2022 because "he didn't respect the leadership of the United States" at the time.

"If I were president, it would have never happened, and it didn't happen for four years. People, most people, agree. It didn't happen, nor was it close to happening," he said.

The conference comes on the final day of the US leader's state visit to Britain.

"In recent days, Putin has shown his true face mounting the biggest attack since the invasion began, with yet more bloodshed, yet more innocents killed, and unprecedented violations of NATO airspace," Starmer said. "These are not the actions of someone who wants peace. So we've discussed today how we can build our defences to further support Ukraine, and decisively increase the pressure on Putin to get him to agree to a peace deal that will last," he added.

The two leaders inked a major deal on tech investment that officials say will bring thousands of jobs and billions in investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy. Starmer called the deal a "groundbreaking" one and said that it is the largest investment package in British history.
 

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6, 6, 6, 6, 6: Nabi Lights Up Asia Cup, Slams 5 Sixes In 1 Over vs SL. Watch

The Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Asia Cup 2025 Group B game was an extremely normal match untill the last over of the first innings. What happened in the final over etched the contest in the pages of history. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat first. The side scored 137 runs at the loss of 7 wickets by the end of the 19th over. What followed was a sensational attack from Mohammad Nabi as the Afghanistan veteran smashed five sixes in the final over that was bowled by Sri Lanka spinner Dunith Wellalage. A total of 32 runs came off the over that also had a single and a no-ball.

Watch it here:

Mohammad Nabi hits 5 Consecutive sixes in last over. #AFGvSL pic.twitter.com/XM3JuU8FFg

— U' (@toxifyy18) September 18, 2025

The 32 runs conceded by Wellalage became the second-most expensive over for Sri Lanka in T20Is history. It is only behind Akila Dananjaya's 36-run over vs West Indies in Antigua in 2021.

Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Thushara (4/18) struck thrice in his lethal opening spell before Nabi played a blinder in the death overs to lead Afghanistan's sensational recovery, firing them to 169 for eight.

It seemed Afghanistan would struggle to get past 120 but Nabi's (60 off 22) final-over heroics, swung the momentum in his team's favour.

It is unusual for a spinner to bowl the final over, but captain Charith Asalanka had already exhausted his pace bowling options.

Having not chased well in the recent past, Afghanistan opted to bat but lost three wickets inside the powerplay to lose the momentum generated in the first two overs that had yielded 26 runs.

The intent, which was missing in the last game, was there but Afghanistan batters did not know how to deal with the moving ball from Thushara, who produced late swing with his slingy action, catching the likes of Karim Janat (1) and Sediquallah Atal (18 off 14) off guard.

Thushara bowled an away swinger to right-hander Janat before a similar delivery led to the downfall of the dangerous left-hander Atal, who too saw his stumps disturbed.

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the first to get out, mistiming a wild slog that was pouched a wide slip.

Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga put on the squeeze in the middle overs as the wickets kept on falling, reducing Afghanistan to 79 for six in the 13th over.

But courtesy skipper Rashid Khan (24 off 23) and his 35-run seventh-wicket stand with Nabi, Afghanistan were able to cross the 140-run mark. Rashid's quickfire included a no-look six in the cow corner region -- a shot which now features regularly in his playbook.

Nabi smashed Dushmantha Chameera for three successive fours in the penultimate over that went for 17 runs. Chameera proved rather expensive on the night, leaking as many as 50 runs in his four overs.

Besides their impressive bowling effort, Sri Lanka's fielding too was on point, well summed by the catches taken by Chameera and Kusal Perera in the deep to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran (24) and Darwish Rasooli.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Quick Recce, Then Bang, Bang, Bang: Video Of Firing At Disha Patani's House

A video of last week's shooting outside actor Disha Patani's house in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly surfaced, on a day the two men involved in the incident were killed in an encounter with the police in Ghaziabad.

In CCTV footage, the two shooters Ravinder and Arun can be seen approaching the house on their motorcycle on September 12 around 3.45 am. As they approach, the dogs inside Ms Patani's residence start barking, raising an alarm. After crossing the house, they return moments later. The pillion rider steps off the vehicle, enters the street beside the house and fires several shots in the air.

Haryana natives Ravinder and Arun were two active members of the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang, with the former having a criminal history of involvement in several cases. Police zeroed in on them after assessing CCTV footage, intelligence inputs and records from neighbouring states, Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order Amitabh Yash said.

In the encounter carried out by Delhi Police Special Cell, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and Haryana Special Task Force on Wednesday, a special cell member sustained injuries. "The duo had a direct role in the Bareilly firing case, which had sparked security concerns around high-profile personalities. The incident was suspected to be an intimidation tactic linked to extortion," an officer of Delhi Police Special Cell told PTI.

A Glock and a Zigana pistol, along with a large quantity of cartridges, were recovered from the encounter spot.

At the time of the shooting, the actor's father and retired Deputy Superintendent of Police Jagdish Singh Patani, her mother, and elder sister Khushbu Patani were present.

Hours after the firing, a man linked to the Rohit Godara-Goldy Brar gang claimed responsibility for the shooting, blaming Khushboo Patani's insult of spiritual figures Sant Premanand Maharaj and Aniruddhacharya.

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Mohsin Naqvi Explains Why Pakistan Did Not Pull Out of Asia Cup 2025

Asia Cup 2025 was witness to huge drama on Wednesday, as at one point it looked like Pakistan might pull out of the continental event. This was because they did not leave their hotel at the scheduled time for the game against the UAE. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had been threatening a boycott after Indian players, led by Suryakumar Yadav, did not shake hands with the Pakistan side on September 14, leaving them in an embarrassing situation. The PCB was unhappy with the role of match referee Andy Pycroft, alleging him to be biased. The PCB even complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking the removal of Pycroft from the Asia Cup.

However, the ICC gave a six-point rebuttal to the PCB, maintaining that the Board's complaints were baseless. In fact, Pycroft was the match referee for the Pakistan vs. UAE Asia Cup 2025 match.

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Asian Cricket Council Chief, explained the decision behind the team not pulling out.

"As you all know, there has been a crisis going on since September 14. We had objections about the role of the match referee. Just a short while ago, the match referee had a conversation with the team coach, captain, and manager. He said that the incident (no handshakes) should not have happened. We had also requested the ICC earlier to set up an inquiry into the code violation during the match," Naqvi told reporters on Wednesday.

"We believe that politics and sports can't go together. This is sport, and let it remain a sport. Cricket should be separate from all this. I requested Sethi Saab and Rameez Raja Saab. If we had to go for a boycott, which was a very big decision, the prime minister, government officials, and many other people were also involved, and we got their full support. We were monitoring the issue."

Mohsin Naqvi's Press Conference along with Former PCB Chairmen Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi on Misconduct of ICC Match Referee Andy Pycroft and Indian Teampic.twitter.com/yeuukxx4My

— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) September 17, 2025

The ICC, in its letter to the PCB, said: "The ICC's investigation was conducted on the basis of the information provided in the report lodged by the PCB. We took the report at face value and note that no supporting documentation or evidence was provided with it.

"The PCB had every opportunity to submit statements from its team members alongside the initial report but chose not to do so." The world body said that there was "no case to answer" on the part of the match referee.

"The actions that the match referee took, following clear directions from the ACC (Asian Cricket Council) Venue Manager, were consistent with how a match referee would deal with such an issue, communicated as it was with no time for him to do anything else (minutes before the toss)."

The ICC was clear that Pycroft was committed to "preserving the sanctity of the toss and avoiding any potential embarrassment that might have arisen."

"The Match Referee was not at fault in any of this. It is not the role of the Match Referee to regulate team or tournament-specific protocols which have been agreed upon outside of the area of play; that is a matter for the tournament organizers and relevant team managers," the ICC added.

The conclusion was terse, with the ICC brass wondering if "...the PCB's real concern or complaint relates to the actual decision that handshakes didn't take place." "The PCB should therefore direct those complaints to the tournament organizers and those who took the actual decision (which was not the Match Referee). The ICC doesn't have a role in that."

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Tejas Fighter Jet Deliveries Stalled Due To Delay In Engine Supplies From US

Inside the high-tech Tejas fighter jet assembly hangar of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), rows of India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) stand ready - airframes complete, avionics tested, and missiles primed. Yet, despite HAL's readiness, the jets remain grounded. The culprit? A delay in engine supplies from the United States.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Dr DK Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, offered a candid explanation. "What you see behind you is the third engine that has arrived just a couple of days ago from General Electric," he said, gesturing to the freshly delivered GE 404 engine. "We will be fitting it onto the aircraft, and we are ready to deliver. Today, I think all the aircraft are built. The shortfall is on the engine, as you know, and General Electric has told us that they will speed up the process".

HAL has committed to delivering 12 Tejas jets to the Indian Air Force this fiscal year. But with engine shipments trickling in, the target may be revised. "At worst, I say that we will be able to deliver 10 based on the kind of engine supply that is there," Dr Sunil added. "We also had some issues with the software and missile firing, but that will be completed shortly this month".

The Tejas program, a symbol of India's aerospace ambition, has faced turbulence. A recent crash during field exercises at Pokhran in Rajasthan raised concerns. Dr Sunil clarified, "It was a maintenance issue, not a design flaw. General Electric has given us special checks to be done because that is a difficult area to access. Otherwise, the safety record has been excellent".

The delay has reignited calls for an indigenous jet engine. What one needs is an 'atmanirbhar' jet engine; HAL has done its part. The bottleneck lies across the ocean.

This isn't the first time HAL has faced scrutiny. Earlier this year, the Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh publicly criticised HAL's delivery timelines, urging faster execution and better coordination. While HAL has made strides in production efficiency, the reliance on foreign suppliers continues to be a strategic vulnerability.

With the Tejas jets lined up and HAL's engineers standing by, the message is clear: India's fighter jets are ready to soar - if only their engines arrive on time.

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