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Karun Nair was left fuming after he was dismissed for a three-ball duck during the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. The incident took place during the fourth over of the DC innings when Karun was run out after a terrible mix-up with Abishek Porel. Porel played the ball from Sandeep Sharma towards point and although he did initially called for the run, the youngster quickly changed his mind. However, Karun was halfway down the pitch and before he could make his way back to the crease, Sandeep collected the throw and completed the run-out. Karun, who scored 89 in the last match, was not happy and he was fuming after returning to the dressing room.

Karun Nair very angry after his Run Out. #DCvsRR pic.twitter.com/FU32tXeecF

— VIKAS (@VikasYadav69014) April 16, 2025

Both Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals are fielding unchanged sides as visitors’ skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to bowl first in Match 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Wednesday. DC are looking to bounce back after suffering a 12-run heartbreaking defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) on their return to their home venue on Sunday, which also snapped their unbeaten winning streak in the competition.

RR, on the other hand, are coming after suffering a nine-wicket thrashing at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Jaipur. Since IPL 2024, teams batting first have emerged victorious in New Delhi. After winning the toss, Samson said, “Looks like a good wicket. Gets better in the second half. The results and match conditions have been different.”

“But we are still early in the tournament, so we want to bowl first and get an advantage. It is a competitive league, so we need to look past results sometimes. We decided as a team that we need to put in a good performance, whatever happens,” he said.

DC captain Axar Patel said they would also have looked to bowl first, mainly due to the dew factor, and said the side would guard against complacency with the bat after a middle-order meltdown against MI. A win for second-placed DC over eighth-ranked RR will help them reclaim the top spot in the points table.

“Now we are ready to bat first and put up a big score. Last game, we also did well chasing, just a matter of a couple of overs here and there going in our favour. Need to look past the last game, but it is a learning experience. We discussed in the team meetings how we could have finished the game; we perhaps got too casual in the middle phase,” he said.

The square boundary dimensions for Wednesday’s match are 61m and 62m respectively, with the straight-down-the-ground boundary standing at 72m when the bowler is coming to bowl from the Willingdon end. In the pitch report, Shane Watson reckoned there will be a little bit of grip for the spinners and pacers, especially if they use change-up deliveries.

(With IANS inputs)

Harvard University rejecting his demands has infuriated Donald Trump so, that the US President seems determined to destroy America’s premier academic institution. A day after he ordered a $2.2 billion freeze in funding for Harvard, President Trump went on the offensive on social media.

“Harvard has lost its way,” said the US President, who has made the top university a focal point of his war against “woke” and “anti-Semitic” educational institutions, most of which have a proven track record in education and are elite and globally recognised.

But in President Trump’s understanding, “Harvard is a joke”, teaches hate and stupidity, and should no longer receive federal funds”.

THE HARVARD ROW – TRUMP vs OBAMA

In a tirade on his social media platform Truth Social, President Trump wrote, “Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges.”

So far, Harvard has been the only institution that has stood its ground and defied Donald Trump’s attempts to force it to submit to wide-ranging government diktats. For this the elite institution has even earned praise from former US President Barack Obama.

“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit,” former president Obama had written on X.

Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and… https://t.co/gAu9UUqgjF

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 15, 2025

But several top educational institutions caved under intense pressure from the White House.

TRUMP’S DIKTATS TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY

In an attempt to crack down of “wokeism”, “diversity practices that divide Americans”, and alleged “anti-Semitism”, the US President had called for sweeping changes in the education system and the way schools, colleges, and universities function.

The changes call for a complete overhaul of its governance models, hiring practices, and admissions procedures. President Trump also demanded that Harvard, like all other top institutions, submit itself to government “audits” of its academic programmes and departments.

Haravard University received the diktats on April 3, following which the University president Alan Garber wrote a letter to the students and faculty vowing that he and the University will defy the government. He promised that the university “will not negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights.”

HARVARD HIRES ‘BIRDBRIANS’, IS A ‘JOKE’

Donald Trump has now even targeted Harvard for paying “ridiculously high salaries” to hire the “worst and most incompetent” professors in recent times. He also criticized the institution for charging students exorbitant fees.

Slamming Harvard for two recent faculty hires – both mayors – President Trump wrote, “These two Radical Left fools left behind two cities (New York and Chicago) that will take years to recover from their incompetence and evil. Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and birdbrains who are only capable of teaching failure to students and so-called ‘future leaders’.”

The US President even accused Harvard’s president of plagiarism. “Look just to the recent past at their plagiarising President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States Congress. When it got so bad that they just couldn’t take it anymore, they moved this grossly inept woman into another position, teaching, rather than firing her on the spot. Since then much else has been found out about her, but she remains in place,” he wrote.

President Trump went on to write that “Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges. Harvard is a JOKE, teaches hate and stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds.”

‘OUT OF GOVERNMENT BOUNDS’

Harvard University, which is 140 years older than United States of America, has informed the White House that it will not comply with demands issued by the Trump administration as they are “in contravention of the First Amendment,” and “invade university freedoms long recognised by the US Supreme Court.”

“No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” the University said in a statement.

Further cementing the university’s position, Harvard’s president Alan Garber addressed the campus community directly to emphasise the gravity of the situation and its broader implications on higher education and writing.

Government interference “threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge,” the university president said.

He announced that that university “plans to do much more. As we defend Harvard, we will continue to nurture a thriving culture of open inquiry on our campus; develop the tools, skills, and practices needed to engage constructively with one another; and broaden the intellectual and viewpoint diversity within our community; affirm the rights and responsibilities we share; respect free speech and dissent while also ensuring that protest occurs in a time, place, and manner that does not interfere with teaching, learning, and research; and enhance the consistency and fairness of disciplinary processes; and work together to find ways, consistent with law, to foster and support a vibrant community that exemplifies, respects, and embraces difference.”

In his appeal to students and faculty alike, Mr Garber said, “All of us share a stake in safeguarding that freedom. We proceed now, as always, with the conviction that the fearless and unfettered pursuit of truth liberates humanity- and with faith in the enduring promise that America’s colleges and universities hold for our country and our world.”
 

DC vs RR LIVE: Here are the likely 12s!

Delhi Capitals (probable): Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (capt), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma

Impact Sub: Mukesh Kumar

Rajasthan Royals (probable): Sanju Samson (capt & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma

Impact Sub: Kumar Kartikeya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during bilateral meeting with US Vice President JD Vance, in Paris. (File photo)

NEW DELHI: US Vice President JD Vance to visit Italy and India from April 18 and April 24 along with his family, confirmed his office on Wednesday.
During his visit to India, Vance will meet PM Narendra Modi to discuss economic and geopolitical priorities amid Trump’s tariff upheavals. The second family of the US will participate in engagements at cultural sites, and apart from New Delhi, visits to Jaipur and Agra are also on the cards.
This trip marks Vance’s second international visit as Vice President, following his earlier travels to France and Germany. For his wife, Usha Vance, whose parents emigrated from India, the visit will be her first official visit as Second Lady.
JD Vance was elected Vice President of the United States in the 2024 election, running alongside Donald Trump.
In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States for a two-day official trip, his first engagement with Trump’s return to office.
PM Modi arrived in Washington, DC, on February 12 and was hosted at Blair House, the official guest residence of the US President, situated opposite the White House.
The visit focused on strengthening bilateral ties in trade, defence, energy, and technology. Key outcomes included India’s agreement to reduce tariffs on over half of $23 billion worth of US imports — a major step toward the goal of doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Modi and Trump also discussed a new defence partnership and regional security cooperation, with the US approving the extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana.
The PM also met with Elon Musk to explore collaboration in space and technology, including the potential entry of Starlink into India.

File Pic: Rohit Sharma with head coach Gautam gambhir.

NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma has revealed that his decision to opt out of the Sydney Test during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy was not a straightforward one and involved a “disagreement” with team management.
Speaking to former Australia captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Rohit explained that the move to drop himself came after introspection and honest assessment of his form, keeping the team’s best interest in mind.
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Rohit, who managed only 31 runs in five innings as India relinquished the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, admitted he wasn’t hitting the ball well and didn’t want to occupy a spot at the expense of someone better prepared.
Who’s that IPL player?
“In the last Test match in Sydney, I had to be honest with myself. I was not hitting the ball well. And I didn’t want to put myself there only because we had a lot of the other guys who were struggling as well,” Rohit said.

The final call, however, wasn’t without resistance. “I spoke to the coach and the selector, who was there on the tour. They kind of agreed — not agreed. There was an argument around it,” he revealed, referring to head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. “You try and put the team first, and just look at what the team wants. Sometimes it may work, sometimes it may not.”
Highlighting the decision to bring back Shubman Gill for the series decider, Rohit added, “We wanted Gill to play. He’s such a good player. He missed out in the previous Test match… I was like, okay, if I’m not hitting the ball well, it’s right now.”

Since assuming the captaincy, Rohit said his leadership philosophy has centered around team-first thinking. “Not just me, I wanted the rest of the guys also to think alike — try and put the team first and not worry too much about ‘my runs, my scores,’” he added.

Former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat, in his recent book ‘The Chief Minister and the Spy’, has generated a storm in a teacup for the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir by writing that ‘former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah was secretly on board when Article 370 was removed’.

The ruling National Conference (NC) has dismissed Mr Dulat’s assertion, saying ‘this is a figment of fiction’, but political leaders in J&K have already started debating and questioning the stand purportedly taken by Mr Abdullah.

Referring to Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi days before the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state, Mr Dulat wrote: “What transpired during the meeting, nobody will ever know. Farooq has certainly never mentioned it.”

For Mr Dulat, Farooq Abdullah’s house arrest in 2019 was the “saddest story in Kashmir” as the NC chief questioned his detention during a conversation with the former spy chief.

“When he spoke to me about the abrogation later, he was forthright, ‘Kar lo agar karna hai (do it if you want to) he said, somewhat bitterly. ‘Par yeh arrest kyu karna tha? (but why arrest us?)’,” he wrote in his book.

Mr Dulat also talks about how Farooq Abdullah is different from his son Omar, who have both served as chief ministers of the erstwhile state and Omar is currently serving as the first chief minister of the Union Territory. Farooq Abdullah, he writes, has always sought to be on the right side of Delhi, but not on Delhi’s terms, unlike Omar Abdullah, who goes out of his way to please Delhi.

“He (Farooq) always looked for a level playing field and, in the end, did it his way, which Delhi could never comprehend. For instance, after his release from detention in March 2020, Delhi expected him to come and meet the Prime Minister. But he took his time on the excuse that he needed cataract surgeries in both his eyes. He came to Delhi only in July 2020.”

“That is the difference between Farooq and Omar. When Omar says he wants a good relationship with Delhi, he goes out of his way to please Delhi. Farooq does what he thinks will go down best with his people,” he wrote

Mr Dulat says Delhi has “almost always” missed the bus with Farooq Abdullah as he narrated a 2014 phone call he got from IB headquarters.

“I was holidaying in Goa when I got a call from IB headquarters in Delhi, ‘Do you have Doctor Sahib’s London telephone number?’ ‘I do,’ I replied. ‘But I hardly have it here on the beach! Baat kya hai? Ab aap phone karna chah rahe ho, but it’s too late now.'(What is the matter? If you want to call him now, it’s too late.) ‘Nahi, nahi, (no, no) we just wanted to enquire about his health.’ ‘Well, even there you’re too late.’ It was another indicator of how tall a leader Doctor Sahib is. It was an indicator, as well, of how, try as Delhi might to dismiss him, it can never ignore Farooq”, Mr Dulat wrote.

“He is the face not just of his party but of the Valley in modern India,” the book states. 

‘Not Surprised’

On the revelation involving Farooq Abdullah, Sajad Gani Lone of the Peoples Conference (PC) said it was credible because of the source and that he was not surprised, because the Abdullahs met the PM on August 4.

Sajad Lone said on X, “Dullat sahib (sic) has revealed in his upcoming book that Farooq Sahib privately supported the abrogation of Article 370. Coming from Dullat sahib makes this revelation very credible. Dullat sahib is the closest ally of and friend of Farooq sahib. Virtually his alter ego. Incidentally Dullat sahib is the famed Uncle of the infamous Uncles and Aunties Brigade of Delhi”.

Dullat sahib has revealed in his upcoming book that Farooq Sahib privately supported the abrogation of Article 370.

Coming from Dullat sahib makes this revelation very credible. Dullat sahib is the closest ally of and friend of Farooq sahib. Virtually his alter ego.…

— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) April 16, 2025

He said the NC will deny it and call it yet another conspiracy against the party. 

“They have perfected playing the victim card. Uncle and Aunties will take cognisance of my tweet and other such tweets and implore upon BJP to teach such tweeters a lesson. Out here, their MLAs will privately visit LOP Sunil Sharma and tell him that they are brothers separated at the Kumbh Mela. That the theatre they enact in Assembly and outside assembly is in national interest. I personally am not surprised at this revelation. The August 4 2019 meeting of CM sahib and Farooq sahib with the PM was never a mystery for me. I can visualise Farooq sahib saying – Humey roney deejiye- Aap apna kaam karein- hum aap kay Saath hain- It now seems 2024 was a prize for services rendered in 2019. Of course in national interest,” Sajad wrote.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Iltija Mufti, said that it is clear that Farooq Abdullah chose to stay in Kashmir instead of the Parliament.

“Dulat sahab an ardent Abdullah supporter has shared how Farooq sahab agreed with Delhi’s illegal move of abrogating Article 370. There were already doubts about what transpired between the Abdullahs & PM days before J&Ks special status was revoked. With this it’s clear that Farooq sahab chose to stay in Kashmir instead of the Parliament to help normalise gutting of J&Ks constitution & subsequent betrayal,” she wrote on X.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Supreme Court’s intention to issue an interim order on the amended Waqf law was put on hold at the last minute today after the Centre and the states requested more time to marshal their arguments on the three points the court raised. The three-judge bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the matter again tomorrow.

The top court, hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the amended law, had expressed concern about the violence sparked during protests. It also questioned if Muslims would be included in Hindu religious boards.

At the end, the judges raised three points, indicating their intention to pass an interim order, putting some provisions of the amended law on hold. For all three procedures — on which the rules have been amended — the court expressed its intention to maintain status quo. 

Whatever property has been declared as Waqf by the user, or declared by the court, will not be notified, the judges said. Secondly, the Collector can continue the proceedings, but the provision will not be applicable. Third — while ex-officio members can be appointed regardless of religion, others should be Muslims, the judges said.

“Normally we don’t pass such interim orders, but this is an exception,” said Justice Khanna, pointing out that the hearing can go on for six to eight months.  

At this point, the centre and the states objected against an interim order and sought more time.

The court said it was ready to allot another half-hour to let them have their say, but after some back and forth, the matter was postponed since it past 4 pm.

The next hearing will be held at 2 pm tomorrow.

The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed by parliament earlier this month after marathon debates in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

But a clutch of petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, with the opposition and a section of the Muslim community being up in arms against some provisions of the law.

The matter is being heard by a three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Vishawnathan.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly made it clear that it would not trespass into the domain of the legislature — the separation of powers being made clear by the Constitution.

But as the final arbiter on issues involving Constitution, it has agreed to hear the petitioners, who insist that the amended law tramples on several fundamental rights, including the right to equality and the right to pursue religious practices.

Among those who challenged the law are leaders of the opposition parties including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK, CPI and BJP ally Janata Dal United.

Religious organisations and NGOs like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board have also filed their objections. Some have sought the cancellation of the law and others have requested for a freeze. 

US President Donald Trump targeted Harvard University again on Wednesday calling it a “joke” and undeserving of federal funds. He said the institution “radical left and woke” people “who are only capable of teaching failure to students and so-called future leaders.”
“Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds,” he said.
In the lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Harvard had “lost its way,” citing the university’s hiring of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, calling them the “worst and the most incompetent”.
“Everyone knows that Harvard has “lost its way.” They hired, from New York (Bill D) and Chicago (Lori L), at ridiculously high salaries/fees, two of the WORST and MOST INCOMPETENT mayors in the history of our Country, to “teach” municipal management and government. These two Radical Left fools left behind two cities that will take years to recover from their incompetence and evil. Harvard has been hiring almost all woke, Radical Left, idiots and “birdbrains” who are only capable of teaching FAILURE to students and so-called ‘future leaders,” he said.
“Look just to the recent past at their plagiarizing President, who so greatly embarrassed Harvard before the United States States Congress. When it got so bad that they just couldn’t take it anymore, they moved this grossly inept woman into another position, teaching, rather than firing her ON THE SPOT. Since then much else has been found out about her, but she remains in place. Many others, like these Leftist dopes, are teaching at Harvard, and because of that, Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World’s Great Universities or Colleges,” he added.
This comes a day after Trump threatened to take away the “tax-exempt” status after he froze over $2 billion in federal funding to the university.
The funding suspension came in the wake of Harvard’s decision last week to reject the administration’s demands for policy reforms and periodic progress updates.

Hearing the bunch of petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre tough questions on multiple provisions of the new law, especially its provisions for ‘Waqf by user’ properties. The court also flagged the provision to include non-Muslims on the Central Waqf Council and asked the government if it would allow Muslims to be part of Hindu endowment boards.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Vishwanathan, was hearing 73 petitions challenging the new Waqf Act, which has sparked protests in several parts of the country.

At the outset, the Chief Justice told the petitioners that two questions needed to be addressed. The first was whether the Supreme Court would send the petitions to a high court and what points the petitioners intend to argue.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, said many provisions in the new law violate Article 26 of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to manage religious affairs. Mr Sibal also flagged the powers the new law gives to the Collector. He argued that the Collector is a part of the government and if he plays the role of a judge, it is unconstitutional.

Mr Sibal then mentioned ‘Waqf by user’ – a provision under which a property is treated as Waqf based on its long-term use for religious or charitable purposes, even without formal documentation. The new law adds an exemption: this won’t apply to properties that are in dispute or are government land.

Mr Sibal said that ‘Waqf by user’ is an integral part of Islam. “The problem is, if a waqf was created 3,000 years ago, they will ask for the deed,” he said.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, also appearing for a petitioner, said that 4 lakh Waqf properties out of the total 8 lakh properties in the country are ‘Waqf by user’. At this point, the Chief Justice intervened, “We are told Delhi High Court is built on Waqf land. We are not saying all waqf by user is wrong, but there is genuine concern,” he said.

Mr Singhvi then said they are seeking a stay on some provisions and not the entire Act.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the law was passed after detailed and elaborate debates in Parliament. He said a joint parliamentary committee examined it and it was passed by both Houses again. 

The Chief Justice then asked Mr Mehta to focus on the ‘Waqf by user’ provisions in the new law. “Are you saying that if a ‘Waqf by user’ was established by a (court) judgment or otherwise, today it stands void?” The Chief Justice mentioned that many mosques part of Waqf were built in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries and it is impossible to present documents for them.

The bench then said that “there will be an issue” if the government is going to denotify ‘Waqf by user’. “The legislature cannot declare a court’s judgment would not be binding,” it said, adding that while there are instances of “misuse”, “there are genuine Waqf too”.

“How will you register such ‘Waqfs by user’ who have been there for long? What documents will they have? It will lead to undoing something. Yes, there is some misuse. But there are genuine ones too. I have gone through the Privy Council judgments. ‘Waqf by user’ is recognised. If you undo it, then it will be a problem,” the Chief Justice said.