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India reports strikes on military bases, Pakistan denies any role
India has accused Pakistan of attacking three of its military bases with drones and missiles, a claim which has been denied by Islamabad.
The Indian Army said it had foiled Pakistan’s attempts to attack its bases in Jammu and Udhampur, in Indian-administered Kashmir, and Pathankot, in India’s Punjab state.
Blasts were reported on Thursday evening in Jammu city in Indian-administered Kashmir as the region went into a blackout.
Pakistan’s defence minister told the BBC they were not behind the attack.
“We deny it, we have not mounted anything so far,” Khawaja Asif told the BBC, adding: “We will not strike and then deny”.
Earlier on Thursday, India said it had struck Pakistan’s air defences and “neutralised” Islamabad’s attempts to hit military targets in India on Wednesday night.
Pakistan called that action another “act of aggression”, following Indian missile strikes on Wednesday on targets in Pakistan and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
India’s strikes on Wednesday sparked a chorus of calls for de-escalation from the international community with the UN and world leaders calling for calm.
The attacks and incidents of shelling along the border have fanned fears of wider conflict erupting between the nuclear-armed states.
It is being viewed as the worst confrontation between the two countries in more than two decades.
India said it hit nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites on Wednesday in retaliation for a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month.
Pakistan has strongly denied Indian claims that it backed the militants who killed 26 civilians in the mountainous town of Pahalgam.
It was the bloodiest attack on civilians in the region for years, sending tensions soaring. Most of the victims were Indian tourists.
Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a decades-long insurgency against Indian rule which has claimed thousands of lives.
Kashmir has been a flashpoint between the countries since they became independent after British India was partitioned in 1947. Both claim Kashmir and have fought two wars over it.
There were calls for restraint from around the world after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ early on Wednesday.
But on Thursday both sides accused each other of further military action.
Pakistan’s military spokesman said drones sent by India had been engaged in multiple locations.
“Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said. “These locations are Lahore, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Attock, Bahawalpur, Miano, Chor and near Karachi.”
He said one civilian had been killed in Sindh province and four troops injured in Lahore.
The US consulate in Lahore told its staff to shelter in the building.
India said its latest action had been taken in response to Pakistan’s attempts to “engage a number of military targets in northern and western India” overnight.
“It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” a Defence Ministry statement said. Pakistan denied the claim.
There was no independent confirmation of the two countries’ versions of events.
Later in the day India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri told a news conference in Delhi: “Our intention has not been to escalate matters, we are only responding to the original escalation.”
[BBC]
US President Donald Trump has threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he does not step aside at the end of his term in May.
The two have been embroiled in a bitter spat over Powell’s reluctance to cut the central bank’s interest rate, despite Trump’s repeated calls.
Powell’s term expires on 15 May, but he is planning to remain in post until his successor, Kevin Warsh, is confirmed by the Senate.
“Then I’ll have to fire him,” Trump told Fox Business, when asked about Powell’s plans to stay on in the job.
“I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial,” Trump said.
Thom Tillis, an influential Republican senator on the committee which oversees nominations for the Federal Reserve chair, has threatened to block Warsh’s confirmation. If Warsh is not confirmed before Powell’s term expires, he plans to stay on temporarily in the post.
“That’s what the law calls for. That’s what we’ve done on several occasions,” Powell has said.
Tillis has warned Trump he will not let Warsh’s appointment go ahead unless a criminal investigation into Powell, linked to the renovation of the Federal Reserve building, is dropped.
[BBC]
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bowled Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) out for 146 and chased it down with nearly five overs to spare as they moved to the top of the IPL 2026 points table.
This win was thanks to the defensive bowling skills of Josh Hazelwood and Krunal Pandya. They took three wickets between them. Others were more successful on the night but it was very much a case of pressure created at one end resulting in mistakes at the other. Rishabh Pant had a chastening night, taking a blow to his left elbow, retiring hurt in the fifth over, coming back in the 16th with LSG in dire straits and being dismissed for 1 off 6.
With Hazlewood back in the team, and bowling three of the first seven overs, RCB gained an early stranglehold over the game. On a pitch which was dry and holding up a bit, he made life extremely hard for the batters by never giving them a chance to free their arms. When Pant tried, he suffereed a blow on the left elbow and had to retire hurt. When Nicholas Pooran tried, he dragged the ball onto his stumps. RCB’s quicks conceded runs at just over seven an over in the first 10. When they focused on keeping the ball around the off stump, runs would only come at just over three an over during this same period. Hazlewood was running so hot he merited a slip and a short leg at one point.
There are now 12 spinners with 100 wickets in the IPL. It is a list dominated by wristspinners and mystery spinners. For Krunal to end up there shows just how well he works within his limitations though lately he has been pushing against them, bowling bouncers and, on Wednesday, a crouched, low-arm delivery that did for Mitchell Marsh. The Australian had made 40 of LSG’s 71 runs at that point and thought he had a short ball he could put away, but the change in Krunal’s action made sure it didn’t bounce as much as expected.
Marsh was bowled off an inside edge. Together, Hazlewood and Krunal bowled 23 dot balls. The pressure they put resulted in wickets for Rasikh Salam (4 for 24) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3 for 27). Pant came back to bat again with his left arm strapped up but was one of five wickets that fell in the death overs (17 to 20).
Playing for the first time in his IPL career as an Impact Sub, Virat Kohli hit six fours and a six in his first 14 balls, showing once again a willingness to manufacture shots and hitting in the air. LSG helped his cause as well by bowling too full. These were not the conditions to go searching for conventional help. RCB hit the deck. Even a swing bowler like Bhuvneshwar didn’t bother pitching the ball too far up.
LSG didn’t get the memo. They were a distant second in this game tactically. Kohli was 32 off 14 as RCB put on 60 in the powerplay. Once the field spread, and LSG hit better lengths, runs became harder to come by. Kohli made 17 off his last 20 balls and fell for 49 off 34.
Rajat Patidar came in and played a very sixy innings. He has cleared the boundary 21 times this season, more than anybody else. His balls-per-six ratio is under five. RCB could have knocked these runs over and taken the game. But they kept putting pressure on the LSG bowlers. They felt no need to take a backwards step. The win came in the end, at the cost of maybe one or two more wickets, which seems a reasonably price to pay to stay true to your identity.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 149 for 5 in 15.1 overs (Virat Kohli 49, Devudutt Padikkal 10, Rajat Patidar 27, Jitesh Sharma 23, Tim David 14*, Romario Shepherd 14*; Prince Yadav 3-32, Avesh Khan 2-23) beat Lucknow Super Giants 146 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 40, Aiden Markram 12, Ayush Badoni 38, Mukul Choudhary 39; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-27, Josh Hazelwood 1-20, Rasikh Salam 4-24, Krunal Pandya 2-38) by five wickets
[Cricinfo]
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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 15 April 2026, valid for 16 April 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491
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Showers expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, Uva and North-western provinces
Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district
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