Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the reduction in goods and services tax (GST) rates from September 22 spurred consumption. She exuded confidence that the demand boost would sustain after the festive season. “GST rate reduction has resulted in an increase of purchases. The consumption drive will continue… We are convinced that on every such item, benefits are being passed on by companies,” she said on Saturday, at a press conference on ‘GST Bachat Utsav,’ along with commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Over the years, a number of incidents have marred what has otherwise been a sport that unites millions across communities (Images via X/Screengrabs & AP) Cricket is a sport that unites millions across the world. However, it has occasionally been marred by violence and terror. From targeted attacks on players to cross-border airstrikes, the game has witnessed moments of shock that shook the global cricket community.Sri Lanka Team Attack in Lahore (2009) During the second Test in Lahore, masked terrorists targeted the Sri Lankan team bus en route to the Gaddafi Stadium.

The “Majsan” armored vehicle was built in the local shipyard in 1991 for use by the brave Croatian defenders of Dubrovnik during the Homeland War. The Croatians were outnumbered and outgunned in their fight against the Yugoslavian National Army (JNA), which had modern Soviet T-72 and Yugoslav M-84 main battle tanks. This is the sole remaining Majsan on display and bears the bullet holes of combat on both sides and highlights Croatian ingenuity during their fight for independence. The Majsan is now on display on the south side of Gruz port in Dubrovnik.

Max Verstappen will start on pole for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix as he bids to complete a perfect weekend after also winning the Saturday sprint race at Circuit of the Americas. The Red Bull driver will start alongside McLaren driver Lando Norris on the front row, while championship leader Oscar Piastri is down in sixth after running a used set of tyres in Q3.

Princess Anne has had sufficient of scandal-ridden Prince Andrew because the fallout from his longstanding relationship with the late intercourse trafficker Jeffrey Epstein continues. “Anne has lengthy sided with the King,” Christopher Andersen, royal knowledgeable and writer of Brothers and Wives, completely instructed Us Weekly on Friday, October 17. “She is as fed up with Andrew as Charles and William are.”

Match of the Day's Alan Shearer breaks down Jean-Philippe Mateta's movement and what makes him so difficult to defend against following the striker's hat-trick against Bournemouth in the Premier League. WATCH MORE: Mateta hat-trick earns Palace draw in thriller against Bournemouth Available to UK users only.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after several days of deadly cross-border clashes, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Sunday. The announcement came after at least 10 people were killed in Pakistani airstrikes that followed an earlier truce. “During the negotiations, the two sides agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of mechanisms to ensure lasting peace and stability between the two countries,” Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement.

The terror-linked Brooklyn imam who palled around in a photo opp this week with socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once urged “jihad” on the Big Apple. Imam Siraj Wahhaj, one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders, delivered his radical message during a sermon in the early 2000s, telling followers to participate in gun-free jihad and “march through the city of New York,” according to a foreign intelligence assessment obtained Saturday by The Post.

Denise Richards’ estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, has been launched on bond after his spousal abuse arrest, Us Weekly can verify. Phypers, 53, was launched from police custody on Friday, October 17, after posting his $200,000, in keeping with courtroom information considered by Us. TMZ was first to report the information, additionally publishing a photograph of Phypers posing along with his bailperson upon his launch.

Stephen HolderOct 18, 2025, 04:12 PM ET Close Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013.

In the heart of Évora, Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage city full of ancient stones and Roman ruins, there's a house that celebrates something a bit softer: cork. At Casa do Montado, you won’t just learn that cork comes from trees. You’ll trace their history back to the Ice Age, and discover why this humble material is one of Portugal’s most precious resources.

On Friday, October 17, Black Phone 2 will hit theaters and reunite the cast of The Black Phone for another supernaturally charged horror movie. But you don’t have to go out to a theater for spooks and jump scares when some great films are streaming at home. Watch With Us has selected the three movies just like Black Phone 2…

Kristen Bell is celebrating her twelfth marriage ceremony anniversary by sharing one in all her husband Dax Shepard’s extra, uh, uncommon guarantees. “Comfortable twelfth marriage ceremony anniversary to the person who as soon as stated to me: ‘I'd by no means kill you. A variety of males have killed their wives at a sure level. Despite the fact that I’m closely incentivized to kill you, I by no means would.’ ❤️,” Bell, 45, posted…

Aston Villa told matchday stewards they would not have to work during the club’s Europa League fixture against the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, citing possible “concerns” over safety, it has been reported. West Midlands police decided to ban Maccabi fans from the forthcoming match, after saying the force would not be able to police the fixture safely owing to “violent clashes and hate crime offences” at a previous match in Amsterdam in 2024.

The US state department on Saturday (local time) said it had "credible reports" that Hamas was planning an attack on civilians in Gaza, calling it a possible violation of the ceasefire. "This planned attack against Palestinian civilians would be a serious breach of the ceasefire and undermine the progress made through mediation," the state department said in a statement. It added that if Hamas goes ahead with the attack, measures would be taken to protect people in Gaza and maintain the ceasefire."Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire."Trump had earlier posted on social media: “If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them." The warning comes as Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said the war in Gaza will only end once the second phase of the truce is complete, which involves disarming Hamas.

A sprawling storm system barreling out of Texas is slamming the Mississippi Valley with dangerous weather Saturday, threatening more than 50 million Americans with tornadoes, large hail and destructive winds. Warm, humid air surging north from the Gulf of Mexico collided with a powerful cold front sweeping through the nation’s midsection, setting off explosive conditions across the Ark-La-Tex region and the Ozarks, …

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has backed up his Austin sprint win with an emphatic pole position for Formula 1's United States Grand Prix, defeating Lando Norris. Verstappen's only Q3 lap of 1m32.510s was enough to seal his seventh grand prix pole of 2025, while McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri could only qualify sixth. McLaren's mechanics faced a big repair job after Norris and Piastri were both eliminated on the opening lap of Saturday's 19-lap sprint, but both cars were ready in time for main qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas.

This 13-story glass constructing is an actual head turner. It is 225 toes lengthy and has solely two curved sides. Constructed from 1961 to 1963 close to the Connecticut River and highways I-84 and I-91, it is a masterpiece of the Harrison and Abramovitz architectural agency. Positioned in Structure Plaza, its distinctive form is named an elliptical lenticular cylinder, which is only a fancy manner of claiming it resembles a ship or fish.

NEW DELHI: Framing a unique standard operating procedure, Supreme Court has directed that if a poor person, arrested for an offence and lodged in jail pending trial, is unable to furnish monetary surety for bail, government concerned through district legal services authority will provide it to ensure release, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra. The new SOP was framed by SC after incorporating suggestions from amicus curiae.The new SOP was framed by a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and S C Sharma after incorporating suggestions from amicus curiae and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra and additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati.The case was taken up suo motu by SC after learning that thousands of undertrials are languishing in jail despite being granted bail just because of their inability to fill bail bonds with or without sureties.

Match of the Day pundits Micah Richards and Alan Shearer say it was "ridiculous" for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to sack manager Ange Postecoglou after just 39 days in the job. WATCH MORE: Chelsea beat Forest to end Postecoglou's time at City Ground Available to UK users only.

A major fire has engulfed some commercial shops in Malad area on Saturday afternoon, officials said. The blaze, which erupted around 1 PM in Pathanwadi, is confined to approximately 15-20 shops, and there is no report of any injury to anyone, according to officials. At least eight fire engines and other firefighting vehicles are conducting operations to douse the fire.The cause of the blaze cannot be known immediately, officials added.

Nick WagonerOct 18, 2025, 05:10 PM ET Close Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga.

Former Maoists watch TV at the police centre JAGDALPUR: They couldn’t sleep. Not under the roof, not on the mattresses, not with the hum of ceiling fans or the whir of traffic. For 210 former Maoists who surrendered on Friday in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar after decades in the jungle, the first night of peace was sleepless.Used to watching stars through forest canopies and fleeing at the crack of a twig, the men and women who once lived on alert found themselves dazed by comfort.

Lily Allen and Kris Jenner have something unexpected in common — their plastic surgeon. During her recent British Vogue cover story, Allen, 40, confirmed that she recently had a breast augmentation. “I don’t think he needs them,” Allen joked of giving a referral to her surgeon. “He did Kris Jenner’s face a couple of weeks after me.” Jenner, 69, went to…

Landry Shamet won the biggest Knicks roster battle.  He earned the last roster spot, as the Knicks cut down on Saturday ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline.  The most notable of the cuts was Garrison Mathews, who was battling with Shamet for that last roster spot. It went from a three-player battle to a two-player battle when Malcolm Brogdon surprisingly retired on Wednesday.