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NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals clinched a dramatic Super Over victory against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025’s first tied match of the season, thanks to a sensational final over by Mitchell Starc that restricted the Royals to nine runs when they needed to win in regulation.
Starc’s brilliance in the 20th over held Rajasthan to 188/4, matching Delhi’s earlier total of 188/5, and forced the match into a Super Over at the Feroz Shah Kotla (Arun Jaitley Stadium).
Rajasthan opted to send in Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag for the Super Over, and while both managed to hit a boundary each, they were run out on consecutive deliveries (balls four and five), restricting RR to just 11 runs.
Chasing 12 for victory, KL Rahul opened DC’s Super Over with a double and a four, before Tristan Stubbs sealed the deal with a towering six off Sandeep Sharma’s fourth delivery.
Under the captaincy of Axar Patel, Delhi returned to winning ways and reclaimed the top spot in the 10-team table with five wins from six matches.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals—still chasing their second IPL title since their fairytale win in 2008 under the late Shane Warne—slumped to their fifth loss in seven games.

Here’s how the Super Over madness unfolded in Delhi…
Rajasthan Royals’ Super Over Innings:
Ball 1: Starc to Hetmyer – No run.
What a fiery start! Starc fires in a full delivery tailing back into Hetmyer, who was backing away. It’s outside leg-stump, and Hetmyer misses the flick. Dot ball.
RR 0/0 (0.1)
Ball 2: Starc to Hetmyer – FOUR!
Starc misses the yorker length and there’s no one at deep mid-wicket. Hetmyer stays back and slogs it into the gap. Boundary! Even Jaiswal applauds from the sidelines.
RR 4/0 (0.2)
Ball 3: Starc to Hetmyer – 1 run.
Low full toss on middle, hammered down to long-on. Just a single.
RR 5/0 (0.3)
Ball 4 (No-Ball): Starc to Parag – FOUR!
Low full toss outside off, and Parag throws his hands at it. Thick outside edge flies over backward point for four. But there’s more—Starc has overstepped with his back foot landing on the return crease. That’s a no-ball and a free-hit to follow!
RR 10/0 (0.3)
Ball 4 (Free Hit): Starc to Parag – Run-out! No run.
Chaos! Full down the leg-side, Parag misses the flick, and it deflects off the pads to KL Rahul. Hetmyer calls for a suicidal run, and Starc collects the throw to remove Parag. Confusion reigns, and Rajasthan lose a wicket off the free hit.
RR 10/1 (0.4)
Delhi Capitals need 12 runs to win
Delhi Capitals’ Super Over Innings:
Ball 1: Sandeep to Rahul – 2 runs.
Short and slower outside off, pulled to deep mid-wicket. Jaiswal’s throw is off target and high, allowing KL to dive back safely. A close call!
DC 2/0 (0.1) – Need 10
Ball 2: Sandeep to Rahul – FOUR!
Terrific shot! Rahul anticipates the slower one, backs away, and cuts over backward point. One bounce and over the rope. Smart batting.
DC 6/0 (0.2) – Need 6
Ball 3: Sandeep to Rahul – 1 run.
Very full on off, guided to backward point. Just a single.
DC 7/0 (0.3) – Need 5
Ball 4: Sandeep to Stubbs – SIX! Game over!
Stubbs finishes in style! Predictable slower short ball outside off, and Stubbs launches it over deep mid-wicket. Massive hit, and DC win with two balls to spare. Fist pumps, roars, and celebrations follow from both Stubbs and KL Rahul.
DC 13/0 (0.4) – Delhi Capitals win the Super Over!

As the ripple effects of US President Donald Trump’s global trade war are being felt across numerous industries, Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday (local time) warned of higher inflation, saying policy changes under the Trump administration have put the Federal Reserve in uncharted waters.  

In a speech in Chicago, Powell noted that the level of the tariff increases announced by the Trump administration so far is “significantly larger than anticipated” and the lingering uncertainty around the issue could inflict lasting economic damage. 

“These are very fundamental policy changes…There isn’t a modern experience of how to think about this,” Powell said.

The Fed is tasked to promote full employment and keep inflation in check, but Powell warned that Trump’s tariffs threaten both those goals. The US economy remains in decent shape, according to the latest data. 

Powell noted a slowing economy, but he added that “inflation is likely to go up as tariffs find their way and some part of those tariffs come to be paid by the public.”

He also noted the “volatility” on the markets in a “time of high uncertainty.”

Trump’s Trade War Hits Stocks Again

That volatility was visible on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq at one point plummeted more than four per cent, the S&P more than three per cent and the Dow Jones more than two.

Leading the downward charge was Nvidia, which momentarily dropped more than 10 per cent after disclosing major costs due to new US export restrictions on semiconductors imposed as part of Trump’s tussle with China.

Trump Remains Upbeat

The US President, meanwhile, remained upbeat, posting on social media that there’d been “Big Progress!” in talks with Japan on a trade deal.

He is banking that his strategy, in which tariffs are meant to lead to multiple individual country agreements, will lower barriers to US products and shift global manufacturing to the United States.

But those negotiations are running parallel to a deepening confrontation with top US economic rival China — and concern over widespread disruption.

China’s ‘No Winner’ Warning

While the rest of the world has been slapped with a blanket 10 per cent tariff, China faces levies of up to 145 per cent on many products. Beijing has responded with duties of 125 per cent on US goods.

“If the US really wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop exerting extreme pressure, stop threatening and blackmailing, and talk to China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

“There is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war,” Lin said, adding: “China does not want to fight, but it is not afraid to fight.”

China said on Wednesday that it saw a forecast-beating 5.4 per cent jump in growth in the first quarter as exporters rushed to get goods out of factory gates ahead of the US levies.
 

An Indian student is among four international students from Michigan public universities who have filed a federal lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking reinstatement of their immigration status after it was allegedly terminated without proper notice or explanation.
Chinmay Deore from India, Xiangyun Bu and Qiuyi Yang from China, and Yogesh Joshi from Nepal are challenging the abrupt cancellation of their F-1 student visas in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a US government database that tracks nonimmigrant students. The students are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, which also filed a request for an emergency injunction.
“The lawsuit asks the court to reinstate the status of these students so that they will be able to complete their studies and avoid facing the risk of detention and deportation,” the ACLU said in a statement.
According to the complaint, the students were never given valid reasons for the termination, nor were they involved in any legal violations or campus protests. “None of them has been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime in the US. None has violated any immigration law. Nor have they been active in on-campus protests regarding any political issue,” it stated.
The lawsuit names DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and ICE Detroit Field Office Director Robert Lynch as defendants. It alleges that terminations appeared to be based on minor or lawful interactions with law enforcement, such as traffic violations or withdrawn entry applications.
“DHS did not provide the students or their schools any meaningful explanation for terminating their F-1 student status,” the lawsuit said.
The case is part of a growing number of legal challenges targeting the Trump-era immigration enforcement policies, which continue to impact international students. Similar lawsuits have been filed in states including New Hampshire, Indiana, and California.
“These cruel and illegal government actions have real-life consequences,” said Ramis Wadood, staff attorney at the ACLU of Michigan. “Status terminations don’t just disrupt the lives of the students being targeted; the government’s actions will inevitably deter future international scholars from choosing Michigan and the US as their academic destination.”

With Donald Trump’s support dwindling and Russia upping its offensive with Beijing’s silent support to Moscow, options were running out for Kyiv. After China’s outright denial of its citizens fighting the war alongside Russians, Ukraine decided to take some drastic actions.

With President Zelensky’s approval, the Ukranian military decided to parade Chinese nationals captured as prisoners of war or PoWs in the years-long conflict in Ukraine. Revealing the identities of prisoners of war and parading them in front of reporters and news cameras is considered a violation of international humanitarian law. But Kyiv decided to do it anyway – just to prove Beijing wrong.

As recently as last week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that there are 155 Chinese nationals who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. He asserted that Russia was “dragging” China into the war and slammed Beijing for silently allowing its citizens to be recruited by Moscow’s army, who in turn gave them combat training. He also said that Kyiv has details of at least 155 Chinese nationals currently fighting in the war and that two of them were even captured in eastern Donetsk – a claim China rubbished.

CHINA LEFT RED-FACED

In its response to President Zelensky, China’s foreign ministry said, “We would like to reiterate that China is not the initiator of the Ukrainian crisis, nor is China a participating party,” adding that “We urge the relevant parties concerned to correctly and soberly understand the role of China and to not release irresponsible remarks.”

With Washington greatly reducing its support too, Kyiv was left with no other option but to break a few rules in order to leave Beijing red-faced over its denial.

And so, at the risk of damaging its reputation, Kyiv paraded the captured Chinese nationals in front of the press. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, protection of prisoners of war include shielding them from the media.

The two captured Chinese prisoners of war spoke to the media, answering questions in Mandarin

While China has always claimed to be neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, Beijing has, from the start, provided Moscow an economic and diplomatic lifeline. With its citizens now found to be participating alongside Russian troops, Beijing’s actions are being watched very closely by Kyiv.

THE BIG REVEAL

According to CNN, which got media access to the Chinese prisoners of war, the captives were brought into the press briefing room dressed in combat fatigues. They were given an opportunity to interact with the press, which also gave them a platform to speak about their ordeal.

A translator stood beside them who translated the questions being asked to the PoWs, who in turn answered in Mandarin. Throughout the press briefing the PoWs were watched over by armed Ukrainian security personnel.

The men – who CNN decided not to name, or identify in any way – told how financial incentives played a key role in their decisions. One of them said he had been looking for a way to earn money after losing his job during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The prospect of 250,000 rubles (around $3,000) per month in Russia was more than double what he could expect to earn at home,” the CNN report stated.

Ukraine also released documents and passports of the two PoWs, proving their identity as Chinese.

He went on to say that he had prior training in medical rehabilitation – something that he wanted to do in the Russian military. But when he reached Moscow, he underwent mandatory combat training and was assigned a fighting role.

Both the PoWs said that they had a language problem and documents given to them were all in Russian, which neither of them understood. One of the men said he could only communicate with his comrades in hand signals.

CNN further reported that it had seen a Russian military contract which was signed by yet another Chinese fighter – one who was not present at the press briefing – which gives a possible indication of what the two PoWs had agreed to. The contract was shown to CNN by a Ukrainian intelligence source.

The contract, among other things, commits a trained volunteer to “participate in combat, fulfill duties during the mobilisation period, emergencies and martial law,” as well as take part in “activity to keep and restore international peace and security” and stopping “international terrorist activity outside the territory of the Russian Federation.”

‘BEIJING AWARE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING’

With Chinese nationals now confirmed to be fighting in Ukraine, interest has focused on how they were recruited and how much of an active role China’s government played in it. When President Zelensky was asked if he thinks that the presence of Chinese nationals in Ukraine was a result of Beijing’s official policy, he said, “I don’t have an answer to this question yet. The Security Service of Ukraine will work on it.” But he went on to add that Kyiv has reason to believe that “Beijing is aware of what is happening.”

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has claimed that Beijing is aware of what is happening after two Chinese nationals were taken PoWs

By parading the Chinese prisoners of war in front of the media, President Zelensky also aims to give Kyiv a chance by getting Donald Trump’s attention drawn to it. The Trump administration is currently in the midst of a trade war with China and Washington has been heavily focused on Beijing – which it describes as its “principal global adversary”.

By amplifying anything that suggests Beijing’s support to Moscow is much more than just diplomatic or economic in nature, Ukraine has a chance to gain Washington’s attention while also intensifying Europe’s appeal for Kyiv.
 

NEW DELHI:
SG said there was no basis for the apprehension of fresh scrutiny of ‘waqf by user’ properties. It was meant to enable only those Muslims who had already created a trust for charity, by assuring that their properties would not be treated as waqf property, he said. CJI said, “Before the British came to India, there was no concept of registering properties on transfer. How will someone produce documentary proof of a waqf if it was done during the 14th to 19th century. Jama Masjid in Delhi may be ‘waqf by user’. Who will produce documentary proof for this? But at the same time, no one can make an absurd claim that Parliament or Delhi HC land is waqf land.”
Mehta said Muslim charity commissioners could enter temples and have been entering temples. “The Tamil Nadu govt says it can appoint archaks (pujaris) and the court approves it saying it is a secular function of the govt,” he said, adding, “It is the administration of properties. Nothing to do with the religious affairs of Muslims.”
The bench said as long as a non-Muslim was confined to the post of ex-officio member, it was fine. “But as far as other members are concerned, it can’t be that out of 22 members in the council, only eight are Muslim,” the CJI said.
The SG said this issue was raised before the Joint Parliamentary Committee and it was emphatically clarified by the minister concerned that a maximum of two out of 22 members would be non-Muslims in the council.
“The provisions are now inclusive as membership is expanded to include all categories of Muslims, which was earlier confined only to Shias and Sunnis. Among the members, two must be women, so it has become even more inclusive,” Mehta said. The bench said this was a positive development.
Mehta also allayed the SC’s apprehension of immediate reconstitution of the council and boards by saying the existing bodies would continue till their end of tenure. He said that interestingly, among the 150 petitioners, not a single board had approached the SC claiming that it was affected by the changes in the waqf Act.
At one point, the SC mulled the option of sending all petitions in the SC and before HCs to one HC. But the Muslim side opposed it and said the issue required adjudication at the earliest. The SG said let the court issue notice to the Union govt, which would respond in detail. However, when the SC intended to dictate an interim order, Mehta and Dwivedi successfully opposed it by seeking to advance arguments.

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court directed Tihar Jail authorities on Wednesday to appear in person to explain how “such a desperate accused person”, an undertrial named Shahnawaz, was kept together in isolation in prison with Christian Michel James, one of the alleged middlemen in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter case. The court of special judge Sanjeev Aggarwal sought a status report from the jail authorities on the issue by April 29.
Meanwhile, talking to a few reporters just outside the courtroom on Wednesday, James, who was extradited from the UAE in 2018, said that inmates cut “deals” for “special treatment” inside Tihar. He described his time in prison, now more than six years, as not a waste of time but a “very good experience” despite the jail being a “terrible” and dangerous” place.
However, underlining the threat to his life, he said, “I don’t know exactly how many times, but there were attempts to poison me. The person who tried was surprised that I survived.”
The court also directed the jail superintendent to provide a table fan to James, noting it had not been allowed by the authorities despite its order. “Court already allowed this. He’s still an undertrial (prisoner). Superintendent must provide this fan. He’s from abroad. It’s 42 degrees in Delhi,” the judge said.
In the report on James’s fellow prisoner, undertrial Shahnawaz, Tihar jail officials stated that he had received 41 punishments for his conduct in prison after 2020 in multiple cells at the correctional facility.
The punishments were for disorderly behaviour and possessing prohibited articles, it said. The report also mentioned that Shahnawaz was in Tihar jail cell No 1 from Nov 2018 to Oct 2019, during which no complaint was lodged against him.
This was the period during which James alleged that there were attempts to poison him.

Justice Kurian Joseph (File Image)

NEW DELHI: Appointed by Tamil Nadu as head of a high-level committee to explore ways & means for greater autonomy for states in a federal governance structure, Justice Kurian Joseph on Wednesday said the endeavour would be to find solutions within constitutional parameters and without compromising the nation’s unity and integrity.
Justice Joseph, who retired from the Supreme Court in Nov 2018 after spending more than 18 years as a judge of constitutional courts, told TOI that the issue had been the subject matter of debate right from the 1970s, leading to setting up of Sarkaria Commission in 1983 to examine the Centre-state relationship and balance of power between the Centre and states.
In its 1988 report, the Sarkaria Commission had given 247 recommendations, including greater financial autonomy for states and appointment of impartial governors. In 2007, the UPA govt had set up another panel headed by former CJI M M Punchhi to review the functioning of arrangements between the Centre and states and had recommended reforms in using Article 356 to dismiss state govts, appointment of governors and strengthening of inter-state council for better Centre-state relations.
Justice Joseph said, “Given the long-standing debate on Centre-state sharing of power and the tussle over finances, which remain more or less unresolved, and the fact that the role of governors continues to remain a thorn in Centre-state relations, especially in light of the recent SC judgment on Tamil Nadu governor’s actions on bills passed by the assembly, a judicious study of constitutional provisions has become imperative and solutions to oft-repeated grievances of states need to be sought.”
Asked whether the committee would look into the growing tendency of insisting that people of other states working in a particular state should use the local language for day-to-day communication, he Justice Joseph smiled and said, “Appointment of a person who hails from Kerala as the head of the committee should allay that apprehension.”
Born into a large family managed by the modest income of his father serving as a clerk in Kerala HC, Justice Joseph was appointed as a judge of that HC in 2000. He used to go to school barefoot till Class 7.
He became a judge of the SC in 2013 and in 2018 participated in the press conference with three other judges led by Justice J Chelameswar to protest then CJI Dipak Misra’s alleged allotment of sensitive cases to “pliant” junior judges.
He said he accepted the Tamil Nadu assignment on one condition – not a single penny would be paid as fee or remuneration. “I stand by the promise I had made after retiring from the SC that post-retirement, I would not accept any govt job,” he said.