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Youngster Nehal Wadhera played a composed and confident knock to guide Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a comfortable win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a rain-affected Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. Chasing a target of 96 in a 14-over-a-side contest, PBKS reached 98/5 in 12.1 overs, registering their fifth win of the season. Wadhera remained unbeaten on 33 off just 19 deliveries, laced with three fours and three sixes. Marcus Stoinis sealed the game with a six, providing the finishing touch to a clinical chase.

Punjab got off to a quick start through openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. However, the duo fell in quick succession. Prabhsimran was the first to go, dismissed for 13 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Arya followed soon after, scoring 16 off 11 balls before falling to Josh Hazlewood. At that stage, PBKS were 32/2 in 3.4 overs.
Captain Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis attempted to stabilise the innings, but both fell cheaply. Iyer was removed for 7 by Hazlewood, who also got the better of Inglis (14 off 17) shortly after to complete a superb three-wicket haul. PBKS were suddenly wobbling at 53/4.

Shashank Singh was dismissed for 1 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, leaving PBKS at 81/5. However, Wadhera and Stoinis steadied the ship and ensured there were no further hiccups. Their calm and calculated partnership saw Punjab over the line with 11 balls to spare. 

For RCB, Josh Hazlewood was the standout bowler with figures of 3/14, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with 2/26. Earlier, Punjab Kings' bowlers stuck to their plans and restricted Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 95/9 in the rain-curtailed match in which each side will get to play 14 overs. PBKS Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl first against RCB. The duo of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt opened the innings for RCB. Arshdeep Singh removed Phil Salt in the very first over for 4. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar joined Virat Kohli in the middle.

In the second over, Rajat Patidar crossed 1000 IPL runs and became the second fastest Indian batter to do so. Arshdeep took early wickets as he removed Virat Kohli in the third over for 1(3), and Liam Livingstone joined Patidar at the crease. Xavier Bartlett removed Livingstone in the fourth over, for 4. PBKS players took good catches in the power-play, Jitesh Sharma joined RCB skipper. Veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal removed wicketkeeper/batter Jitesh Sharma for two in the 7th over. RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

RCB's impact player Manoj Bhandage didn't make any impact with the bat as he was removed by Jansen for one in the ninth over. Harpreet Brar, playing his first match of this season, took back-to-back wickets in his first over. He removed Bhuvneshwar for 8 and Yash Dayal in the 12th over. David was the lone warrior for RCB in batting. He smashed three sixes in the final over and scored an unbeaten 50 off 26 balls.

Marco Jansen (2/ 10)was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Arshdeep, Chahal, and Brar took two wickets each, and Xavier Bartlett grabbed a wicket.

ANI

In less than a year, Katy Perry has released an album, campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris and, just this week, flown to space. As she heads to Mexico City to kick off a world tour on Wednesday, the pop superstar shows no intention of slowing down.

“I’m always open and I say, ‘Why not?’ and ‘Let’s just try,’” she told The Associated Press recently at her Southern California rehearsal space. “The power of your thoughts are so incredible because everything starts with a thought. I had this thought, ‘I want to go on tour.’ And here we are.”

With that openness to try comes accepting that not every endeavor will be a victory. Her September album, “143,” was critically panned, and she was simultaneously criticized for reuniting with embattled producer Dr. Luke. Celebrities like Olivia Munn and Emily Ratajkowski critiqued the spaceflight’s use of resources as superfluous and indulgent. And Harris ultimately lost the November election to President Donald Trump.

But Perry’s longevity and the scale of her fame since her 2008 breakout hit, “I Kissed a Girl,” are attributable at least in part to her willingness to get back up in the wake of a setback, as she belts in her 2013 empowerment anthem, “Roar.”

“I can control what I can control,” she said.

That mantra has been refined over the past 15 years through her practice of Transcendental Meditation. The meditation technique has been embraced by a handful of celebrities, including — perhaps most zealously — the late David Lynch, whom Perry credits with spreading the practice and its message.

“That changed my life. And I’ve gone on a long inner space journey to untangle some wires, to answer some questions, to become more grounded, to find the power within myself,” she said.

Perry is fascinated by all things spiritual, casually weaving into conversation references to astrology, the enneagram and cardology, which purports to impart mystical insights into an individual’s personality through playing cards. Perry also credits having her daughter, Daisy, with propelling her along a journey of self-discovery and enhancing her “feminine divine.”

“Being a mother just makes you level up with that type of power,” she said. “I think I’ve just grown into the strong woman that I’ve always dreamed of and idolized.”

That journey has informed her approach to music and performing, down to the narrative of her sci-fi themed “Lifetimes Tour.” Citing films like “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element” as visual and thematic inspirations, Perry will play a video game character who faces off against evil forces.

“It’s really about believing in yourself and leading with love. Those are always my messages, no matter how I wrap it or whatever tour I bring. It’s love and empowerment,” she said. “When I can lead by example, it just ripples.”

Perry’s tour of more than 80 performances will primarily be a career-spanning showcase of past hits, but with a dance-infused flare to some of the traditional pop songs. “I tell everybody they have to wear some sensible shoes,” she explained.

In the nearly two decades since Perry emerged as a pop star, she has made tongue in cheek lyricism — in line with her “very sarcastic” sense of humor — and catchy messages of empowerment a signature of her songs. Critical reception to her more recent albums has been less than enthusiastic, but that hasn’t stopped the 40-year-old from going all out for this tour, calling it “Disneyland on wheels.”

“I feel a responsibility to my audience who have really been with me on this ride during this whole lifetime to give them that feeling that they had when they first heard ‘Teenage Dream,’” she said.

AP

The Kremlin said on Friday that some progress had already been made in talks about a possible peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine but that contacts were rather complicated with the United States.

"Contacts are quite complicated, because, naturally, the topic is not an easy one," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Russia is committed to resolving this conflict, ensuring its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We continue to do this."

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he wanted to achieve a peace deal quickly, but could not be involved in the search for a settlement indefinitely "if one of the two parties makes it very difficult".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking earlier in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, said the sides had just days to show progress or Washington would abandon its efforts.

Asked if the United States could withdraw from the search for a peace settlement in Ukraine, Peskov said that was a question for Washington.

"We believe that some progress can already be noted," Peskov said, citing a temporary moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, though he said Ukraine had not adhered to it.

"Therefore, certain developments have already been achieved, but, of course, there are still many complex discussions ahead."

Peskov, when asked if the energy moratorium was over, said that it had already been a month but that no orders from the president had been received to change Russia's position.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council and a representative of Russian hawks, expressed approval for the US remarks on the X social media platform.

"American officials have said that if there is no progress on the Ukrainian case, the United States will wash its hands of it. Wisely," Medvedev wrote in English. "And the EU should do the same. Then Russia will figure it out faster."

Reuters

US President Donald Trump discussed bilateral trade, Ukraine peace talks and regional security in the Middle East in a call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, the White House said in a statement.

The number of people found dead after a boat accident in Congo has risen to 148, Sky News reported on Friday, citing officials.

Officials said hundreds are still missing after a motorised wooden boat caught fire and capsized on Tuesday in the Congo River, the report added.

Reuters

Nepal’s first recycling plant capable of processing green PET plastic bottles has been inaugurated in Bharatpur. The facility was launched under Project CAP (Collaborative Approach for Preventing Plastic Leakages in Rivers of Nepal), as part of broader efforts to improve plastic waste management in the country.

The project is part of the regional PLEASE (Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia) initiative, which is implemented by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) with support from the World Bank and UNOPS. The inauguration event was organized by CREASION, the lead implementing organization for Project CAP.

According to CREASION, nearly 20,000 tons of plastic enter Nepal’s rivers every year. The new facility aims to address this issue by enabling the recycling of green PET bottles, which are often excluded from conventional recycling systems.

The launch event was attended by several officials, including Norbu Wangchuk, Director General of SACEP; Komal Karki, Country Director of UNOPS Nepal; and Joseph Ese Akpokodje, Task Leader of the PLEASE Project and Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank. Also present were government officials, environmental specialists, and members of the local community.

CREASION’s Founder and President Aanand Mishra, who chaired the program, said the facility is a step toward expanding Nepal’s recycling capacity and reducing plastic pollution at the source.

US air strikes on a key oil terminal on Yemen's Red Sea coast controlled by the Houthi movement have killed at least 58 people and wounded 126 others, Houthi-run, BBC reported.

The US military claimed to have bombed Ras Isa "to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue."

The Houthi-led administration in northwestern Yemen stated that the terminal was a civilian facility and that the strike was a "full-fledged war crime".

It was one of the bloodiest events since President Donald Trump directed US forces to ramp up their bombing campaign last month in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel tied to the Gaza conflict, according to BBC.

Several hours after the strikes on Ras Isa, the Israeli military said that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.

In response to the U.S. governments upcoming port fees for Chinese-built and operated vessels, set to take effect in mid-October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian emphasized on Friday that such measures could be detrimental.

According to Global times, he stated that imposing fees and additional tariffs on cargo handling equipment would not only elevate global shipping costs but also disrupt supply chains and exacerbate inflation in the United States, ultimately harming American consumers and businesses without reviving the domestic shipbuilding industry.

Lin encouraged the United States to follow known facts and international rules, calling for an urgent halt to these activities. He also stated that China would take the appropriate precautions to preserve its lawful rights and interests in light of the situation.