Star batter Sarthak Ranjan dazzled at Eden Gardens on Friday during Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) intra-squad match ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sarthak, who is the son of politician Pappu Yadav, slammed a quickfire 37 off 16 balls for the Rinku Singh-led Golden Knights against the Purple Knights, led by KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane. He hit five fours and two sixes, striking at nearly 240 before being caught at third man off Blessing Muzarabani.
The 29-year-old was roped in by the franchise at his base price of Rs 30 lakh during the IPL 2026 mini auction in November last year.
However, Sarthak's journey to the IPL wasn't overnight. He had impressed in domestic circuits and the Delhi Premier League, showcasing his potential with consistent batting performances that put him on the radar of selectors and fans alike. His selection symbolizes the pathway for talented domestic players striving to break into top-tier cricket.
The emotional high point came when Pappu Yadav took to X to congratulate his son, writing, "Badhai betu, jamkar khelo, apne pratibha ke dum par apni pehchan banao... ab Sarthak ke naam se banegi hamari pehchan!" - encouraging him to play with passion and build his identity through talent on the big stage.
If you have been waiting for a smartphone that delivers strong everyday performance, Samsung may have something interesting for you. The new Galaxy M17e 5G is built for users who want smooth scrolling, long battery life and reliable durability in one package.
Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G is an all-in-one monster and focuses on features that actually affect your daily experience. Here is what you should know.
Smooth Scrolling Takes Centre Stage
The first thing Samsung wants you to notice is the display experience. The Galaxy M17e 5G comes with a 6.7-inch HD+ display that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. That means when you scroll through Instagram, switch between apps or play games, everything feels noticeably more fluid.
It truly is segment's smoothest smartphone, and the 120Hz refresh rate plays a big role. If you spend hours watching reels, browsing or gaming, you will notice the difference. The phone feels smooth and quick in everyday use. If your current phone still runs at 60Hz, you will love the Galaxy M17e 5G.
Battery That Is Built to Last Your Day
Battery anxiety is real, especially if you are always on the move. With Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G, you get a massive 6000mAh battery. On paper, that is one of the biggest capacities you will find in this segment. Samsung's One UI 8 helps the phone manage power more efficiently in daily use.
Samsung claims the segment's longest 26-hour video playback, which tells you exactly what the phone is designed for. Long streaming sessions, endless scrolling and all-day usage without constantly looking for the charger.
You can step out in the morning, use your phone throughout the day and still expect solid battery left by night. When you do need to top up, the phone supports 25W charging, which should help you get back up and running in no time.
Built to Handle Everyday Accidents
Performance is important, but durability matters just as much in real life. The Galaxy M17e 5G brings IP54-rated protection for splash and dust resistance.
The smartphone is better prepared for mishaps like accidental splashes and dusty conditions. For users whose phones often go through daily rough handling, this added protection can make a real difference over time.
Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G is not just a dependable device but also powerful. It truly is the all-in-one monster.
Cameras That Cover Your Everyday Needs
The Galaxy M17e 5G comes with a 50MP main rear camera supported by a 2MP depth camera. On the front, you get an 8MP camera that handles selfies and video calls.
In good lighting, the 50MP sensor captures sharp, clean photos that are ready to share. Whether you are snapping your food, taking quick portraits, or saving everyday moments with friends, the camera holds up well for regular use.
If you spend a lot of time posting on social media, what matters most is consistency. Samsung keeps the focus on a solid primary camera instead of adding extra zero value lenses to the setup.
Performance That Keeps Things Moving
Under the hood, the Galaxy M17e 5G runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor. The powerful phone can easily handle routine multitasking, social media usage and casual gaming without major slowdowns.
Apps open quickly, and switching between tasks feels smooth, especially when combined with the 120Hz display. For the target audience, this level of performance is usually more than enough for day-to-day use.
The phone also supports the highest number of 5G bands in its segment. That means better network compatibility.
Long-Term Software Support Gives It an Edge
One area where Samsung is pushing hard is software longevity. The Galaxy M17e 5G comes with support for 6 Android upgrades and 6 years of security updates.
This is also the segment's highest OS and security upgrades, and it is a meaningful promise. Many phones in this price range struggle to offer long-term updates, which often forces users to upgrade sooner than they want.
If you plan to keep your phone for several years, this level of support adds serious long-term value. It also helps the device stay secure and up to date with new Android features.
Everyday Convenience Features Are in Place
Samsung has also included practical touches that improve daily usage. The Galaxy M17e 5G comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for quick unlocking. This placement is familiar and easy to use with one hand.
Samsung also highlights its largest service network in smartphones, which can be reassuring if after-sales support matters to you. Easy access to service centres often becomes important only after you buy a device.
All-in-One Monster
When you look at the full package, Samsung's strategy becomes clear. The Galaxy M17e 5G is not trying to win on just one flashy feature. Instead, it focuses on the combination that most users actually care about.
You get a smooth 120Hz display, a very large 6000mAh battery, practical IP54 durability, great cameras and long-term software support. Put together all the features, and the smartphone is an all-in-one monster.
Samsung Galaxy M17e 5G is all set to go on sale from 12pm onwards on March 20, 2026. The smartphone will be available at a starting price of Rs. 11,999. If you want to stay updated on offers and availability, you can head to Amazon and register to get notified or know more.
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Blue Origin has unveiled NEO Hunter, a mission designed to detect and deflect dangerous asteroids. Using CubeSats, ion beams, and kinetic impact, it aims to protect Earth and highlights the growing role of private companies in planetary defense.
The last time a film release felt like a festival in India was three years ago when Shah Rukh Khan was returning to the big screen with Pathaan. In 2026, it's the same with Dhurandhar 2, fronted by Ranveer Singh.
If Dhurandhar lit your fuse, Dhurandhar 2 will blow your mind with two times the fury, action, and violence. The second part of the Aditya Dhar directorial is an out-and-out Ranveer Singh show that brings pataakhe to Pakistan's terror network party and shreds it to pieces, figuratively and literally.
From the first frame, we are shown that this time it's the story of Jaskirat Singh Rangi that takes front and centre. We know why it's Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The year is 2002 and it is personal for Jaskirat.
Jaskirat, the 21-year-old young man from Pathankot who was training to become the third generation Indian Army officer from his family, goes off the rails after his father is killed and sisters are gangraped over a petty land dispute.
He is put on a death row but is abducted by R Madhavan's Ajay Sanyal and his trusted aide Sushant Bansal (Manav Gohil) to be inducted as part of Operation Dhurandhar. After some quid pro quo, Jaskirat accepts the offer, and over the years, transforms into Hamza Ali Mazari.
Ajay Sanyal asks Jaskirat if he knows the meaning of his new name, he does. It means 'sher', Ajay Sanyal says 'babbar sher', his nickname for his prized asset. Ranveer Singh looks the part and delivers a lion-like majestic acting masterclass as a growling Hamza takes down Pakistan's terror network in Karachi and across the country, one terrorist after another.
If one has to sum up the actor's performance in the Dhurandhar franchise in one word, it is range. If he makes you feel empathy for his character in an emotional scene, he makes you squirm in your seat when he is hacking the hell out of his adversaries.
If he is tender with his family, he is insanely brutal with the terror mongers he has pledged to eliminate. In a key (almost Biblical) scene, Ranveer Singh laughs maniacally as Hamza who is chained and wounded, his long hair dishevelled. It is one of the most gooseflesh-raising scenes delivered by the actor.
Dhurandhar 2 also answers pretty much all those questions that every Dhurandhar fan had, and most of those answers come as a great pay-off. The film, however, does not end on a crescendo like the first part did and that's the feeling that is missed.
The blurring of the reel and real continues in Dhurandhar 2 and like part one, take it with a pinch of salt and enjoy the flourish of "What if were true?" If Hamza handed over a gun to Ajmal Kasab before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in Dhurandhar, he meets many Pakistani politicians and terrorists: alive, dead and 'in hiding' in part two. We finally get to know who Bade Sahab is and his introduction is a highlight which will go viral this way or that way.
Besides terror funding and fake currency racket through Atif Ahmed (based on UP gangster Atiq Ahmed) and Yakub Ansari via Nepal, Dhurandhar 2 also makes commentary on the drug menace in Punjab and pro-Khalistani forces in India that are allegedly in cahoots with Pakistan to destroy India from within.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- referred to as 'Chaiwala' in a key scene -- too has an extended cameo in the film. Demonetisation, Uri attack, the following surgical strike, and the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid conflict are key plot points too.
What Akshaye Khanna's Rehman Dakait was to Dhurandhar, Arjun Rampal's Major Iqbal is to Dhurandhar 2. But Akshaye Khanna is sorely missed. We do see him in the film. How much? That viewers will find out once they catch the show. Also, how they managed to find an actor who is a spitting image of Nawaz Sharif is mindboggling.
We don't know if it's Aditya Dhar's 'peak detailing' or a coincidence, but where there is Arjun Rampal, there is a chandelier and, of course, fire. IYKYK. And, the actor delivers the goods as the menacing, vile, and India-hating Major Iqbal.
Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam has more of an extended guest appearance than a full-fledged role. And no one, no one owns the screen like Sanjay Dutt. His daredevil character enters in style in Dhurandhar to Hawa Hawa and exits Dhurandhar 2 to one of the actor's all-time hits.
Not just Jaskirat/Hamza, Madhavan's Ajay Sanyal also gets his revenge - multifold. Madhavan gets to play the dual role of the 'Charioteer of Karma' and the 'Godfather' who pulls the strings from behind the curtains, and watches as Pakistan is razed to the ground. He is one of those dependable performers who doesn't miss a beat.
Sara Arjun gets to play a fuller arc this time as Yalina even though her screen time is limited. Her eyes speak volumes no matter what the scene's tone is. Gaurav Gera's Aalam Bhai is a star in his own right and we finally get to know where he comes from in a pivotal scene, a question that remained unanswered in Dhurandhar in Butt sahab's tea shop. Rakesh Bedi is a delight to watch on screen. Full stop.
Danish Pandor as Uzair Baloch is effective and fits the narrative just as intended by Aditya Dhar. Also, there was a reason why the trailer of Dhurandhar 2 started with Kandahar hijacker Zahoor Mistry's "Hindu badi hee darpok qaum hai" dialogue. You'll find out why.
In terms of music, Hamza gets his own FA9LA moment and just like that, 90s sensation, Algerian singer Khaled comes back in currency with his Arabic chartbuster Didi.
Dhurandhar 2 is musically more diverse than part one: it has a recreation of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's qawwali Dil Pe Zakham Khate Hain, Kishore Kumar's Kabhi Bekasi Ne Maara from Alag Alag, and Boney M's Rasputin, among several other gems across decades.
Yes, Yami Gautam is very much a part of Dhurandhar 2. In fact, there is a Haq connect in the film. We may or may never find out that she was the same RAW agent Pallavi Sharma from Uri: The Surgical Strike. In Dhurandhar 2, we'll find another Uri: The Surgical Strike connection. Spoiler: It's not Vicky Kaushal, but the reveal is pretty epic.
Dhurandhar 2 must be watched for all the answers you are seeking from the first film and for Ranveer Singh.
The departure of Assam Congress leaders Bhupen Borah and now Pradyut Bordoloi, which has added to the challenges of the Congress ahead of the state election, has sparked an internal debate in the state unit on why the party's senior leaders could not prevent it. While many question the role of the state party chief, others question how such an event could transpire under the watch of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Sources close to her have pointed out that the senior leader has been serving as the Chairperson of the Screening Committee and her role has been limited to the selection of candidates.
Bordoloi, often called Shashi Tharoor of the northeast for his erudition, resigned from his Lok Sabha seat yesterday and is now set to contest the assembly elections on a BJP ticket. He is the last in a long line of leaders from Assam Congress who have made a beeline for the BJP since Himanta Biswa Sarma changed camp.
Though Bordoloi has said his decision was the result of a slow estrangement and regular humiliations within the party and not so much about the election nomination, the perception that the latter is the key reason, persists.
Bordoloi had quit, sources said, after the Congress decided to give a ticket to an MLA with alleged underworld links for the coming assembly election. The candidature is yet to be announced.
Lahorighat MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar was allegedly linked to Emdadul Islam, who, Bordoloi said, was involved in a murderous attack on him and other party leaders in April 2025. The man was charge-sheeted and once he was out on bail, was felicitated by Nazar. On multiple occasions Islam was seen in the presence of Gaurav Gogoi, Bordoloi has said.
The MP said he had opposed Nazar's renomination during a screening committee meeting chaired by Priyanka Gandhi. But his reservations on the matter were rubbished at a committee meeting in New Delhi in presence of Gogoi, he claimed.
Bordoloi had indicated that this last humiliation was the trigger for his decision -- which pointed to the screening committee - especially since he had written to the state Congress warning that he would resign if Nazar was re-nominated.
Congress sources said Gandhi Vadra has executed her task as the chairperson of the Screening Committee competently. The names of most candidates have already been announced, including the decision to grant a ticket to Pradyut Bordoloi's son, though it is not known if he would accept.
Calling Bordoloi's decision "unfortunate", Gaurav Gogoi asserted that the Congress had given him everything.
"Just two years ago, the Congress party offered him the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha ticket from Nagaon. He is a sitting Member of Parliament; the people of Nagaon voted for him. And in this present election, the Congress party offered an opportunity to a member of his family to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections. If our current Nagaon Lok Sabha Member of Parliament wants Himanta Biswa Sarma to continue as the Chief Minister, well, that is his decision, which is rather unfortunate," Gogoi said.
In private conversations, Congress MPs have alluded to the role of the Enforcement Directorate and other government agencies in the matter.
The state Congress now has a list of leaders whose departures they have to explain: Bhupen Borah's departure from the party on February 22, the defection of three MLAs from the Congress to the BJP on March 5, the switch of former Assam Congress Working President Rana Goswami to the BJP, the exit of former Assam Youth Congress President Ankita Das and Joint General Secretary Parba Das Kalita.
The continuous and systematic departures, most leaders agree off the record, have progressively weakened the party. The current dispensation, though, maintains that the party, which currently has 29 MLAs in the 126-member House, will put up a strong fight in the election.
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US Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard, presenting the intelligence community's 2026 Annual Threat Assessment, said that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan are the most significant nuclear threats to the United States.
While testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Gabbard said, "The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems, with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range."
Gabbard said that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems that are capable of penetrating or bypassing US missile defences.
"North Korea's ICBMs can already reach US soil, and it is committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal," she added.
The intel chief highlighted that North Korea is deepening its ties with Russia and China, a shifting alignment she suggested carries serious implications for global security.
Speaking about Pakistan, she told lawmakers that the Islamic republic's long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with the range capable of striking the United States.
Gabbard identified Al-Qaeda and ISIS as significant and enduring threats to US interests abroad, with both groups maintaining a dangerous presence across parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
She claimed that the expected number of missiles capable of striking the United States has increased sharply from 3,000 in 2025 to 16,000 in 2035.
Gabbard Contradicts Trump
On the situation in Iran, Gabbard contradicted US President Donald Trump and said that Iran made no effort to rebuild uranium enrichment after its capabilities were destroyed in a June 2025 US-Israeli attack.
"As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran's nuclear enrichment programme was obliterated. There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability," Gabbard said in prepared testimony to the Senate.
Ahead of the hearing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Trump had full confidence in Gabbard.
Gabbard's testimony comes after former top aide Joseph Kent resigned as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center over the Iran war.
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Russia plans to launch the Venera-D mission to Venus in 2036. The mission will include an orbiter, balloon probe and lander to study Venus’s atmosphere, clouds and surface, while searching for possible microbial life and continuing the legacy of Soviet Venus exploration.
