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IPL 2025: Brevis, Mhatre, Urvil help Chennai Super Kings sign off gloomy season on bright note

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Ayush Mhatre played a belligerent little innings [BCCI]

Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel were not even part of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) squad at the start of IPL 2025. Picked as mid-season replacements, the trio played bright knocks in CSK’s final game of the season, offering hope that the future could be just as bright.

After the 17-year-old Mhatre and local boy Urvil set the platform with blazing 30s, Brevis cracked a 19-ball half-century on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad. The upshot was CSK finishing with 230 for 5, their highest total in IPL 2025, and signing off with a win.

Chasing a steep target, Gujarat Titans lost three wickets in the powerplay for the first time this season, which exposed their soft underbelly. CSK cut through it to hand them an 83-run drubbing. Sunday’s defeat now leaves GT vulnerable to being overtaken by two of the other three teams in the playoffs.

Mhatre, CSK’s youngest player ever, is an intent machine. When Mohammed Siraj bowled a blameless back-of-a-length delivery on top of the stumps in the first over, he pumped him straight of mid-on for four.

In the next over, he clattered left-arm seamer Arshad Khan for a sequence of 6, 6, 4, 4, 6. By the end of that over, Mhatre had charged to 33 off 12 balls. Prasidh Krishna, however, cut Mhatre’s innings short on 34 off 17 balls in the fourth over with a slower variation.

CSK were not short of attacking enterprise, though. Urvil got cracking with an M Vijay-esque six off Siraj and, along with Devon Conway, took CSK to 68 for 1, their joint-highest powerplay score this season.

Having come into the IPL with the reputation of being a pace-hitter in domestic cricket, Urvil took on the spin of R Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan as well. He moved to 37 off 19 balls before Sai Kishore changed his angle to over the wicket and drew a mis-hit.

Conway, becalmed in the early exchanges, exploded when he carted Rashid for two sixes before the wristspinner had him bowled for 52 off 35 balls in the 14th over. By then, Shivam Dube had already been dismissed by the part-time offspin of M Shahrukh Khan.

Brevis started in fifth gear when he drilled Shahrukh down the ground for four and stayed in that top gear. In all, he faced 23 balls and sent nine of those to or over the boundary with a rare mix of explosive power and T20 invention, which CSK were lacking earlier in the season.

When Rashid tossed one up wide of off, Brevis used his reach and tonked the ball over his head for six. He then left jaws on the floor when he reverse-lapped Arshad for four, damaging his figures even further. In the penultimate over of the innings, he crashed Siraj for two sixes and a four on his way to a 19-ball fifty. By the time he was dismissed off the last ball of the innings, CSK had touched 230.

Brevis finished the season with 225 runs in six innings at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180.00.

In 12 of 13 matches before Sunday, GT had lost either one or no wicket in the powerplay. Against CSK in Ahmedabad, they lost all of Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford in the first five overs. GT’s middle order then crumbled under scoreboard pressure. When Shahrukh and B Sai Sudharsan fell in the 11th over, GT were 86 for 5.

Gill had thrown the first punch at Anshul Kamboj when he charged at the bowler and crunched him over his head for six. Kamboj, though, hit back the next ball when he dragged his length back and had an advancing Gill nicking off to slip for 13 off nine balls. In the next over, Buttler charged at Khaleel Ahmed only to be caught in the deep by Kamboj. When Kamboj hit a hard length and had Rutherford flapping a catch to mid-on, GT were 30 for 3.

Shahrukh and Sai Sudharsan flickered briefly in a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but the powerplay damage was irreparable.

Had CSK limited GT to 121 or fewer, they could have avoided the wooden spoon. But it was not to be. A difficult season, however, ended on a happy note for CSK, with MS Dhoni taking the winning catch and celebrating with his team-mates.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 230 for 5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 34, Dewald Brevis 57, Devon Conway 52, Urvil Patel 37, Shivam Dube 17, Ravindra Jadeja 21*;  Prasidh Krishna 2-22, Sai Kishore 1-23, Rashid Khan 1-42, M Shahrukh Khan 1-13) beat Gujarat Titans 147 in 18.3 overs  (Sai Sudharsan 41, Shubman Gill 13, M Shahrukh Khan 19, Rahul Tewatia 14, Rashid Khan 12, Arshad Khan 20; Ravindra Jadeja 2-17, Khaleel Ahmed 1-17, Anshul  Kamboj 3-13, Noor Ahmad 3-21, Matheesha Pathirana 1-29) by 83 runs

[Cricinfo]



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Our goal is to build a “Thriving Nation” where a woman can walk without fear or doubt, where her talents are duly recognized, and where she can lead a life of dignity – PM

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Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarsooriya in her message on International Women’s Day 2026 says that the governments goal is to build a Thriving Nation where a woman can walk without fear or doubt, where her  talents are duly recognized, and where she can lead a life of dignity.

The PM’s message:

“I extend my greetings to all sisters and daughters in Sri Lanka and around the globe on the occasion of International Women’s Day.This year, the United Nations has declared the global theme for International Women’s Day as “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” emphasizing the realization of rights, the delivery of justice, and meaningful action for all women and girls.

Women are the true pillar of Sri Lankan society and economy. The role they play within the family and in society has today become a decisive factor in shaping the future of our nation. Through the Government’s policy statement, “A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life,” we envision going beyond treating women as mere beneficiaries and recognizing them as active partners in national development, ensuring that they receive the dignity and opportunities they rightfully deserve.

Within our policy framework, special focus has been placed on women. We are committed to recognizing the economic contribution extended by women as housewives, promoting women’s entrepreneurship, and expanding access to the technical and financial support necessary for self-employment alongside strengthening the legal framework required to ensure women’s safety in public transport, workplaces, and within the family environment. Further, we are taking steps to create the environment to increase women’s representation in decision-making bodies at national and regional levels. Special attention is also being given to implementing targeted programmes aimed at improving women’s nutrition, reproductive health, and mental well-being.

Women are not a group seeking sympathy; they are vital social partners endowed with intelligence, resilience, and creativity. Our goal is to build a “Thriving Nation” where a woman can walk without fear or doubt, where her talents are duly recognized, and where she can lead a life of dignity

On this International Women’s Day, I sincerely hope that it marks the beginning of a new era in which the aspirations of all women in our country are realized as they shine before the world.

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Sabaragamuwa, North-western and North-central provinces and in Colombo, Gampaha, Vavuniya, Mannar, Hambantota and Monaragala districts

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Warm Weather Advisory issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology  at 3.30 p.m. on 07 March 2026, valid for 08 March 2026.

Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, North-western and North-central provinces and in Colombo, Gampaha, Vavuniya, Mannar, Hambantota and Monaragala districts

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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AI-generated Iran war videos surge as creators use new tech to cash in

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[pic BBC]

An unprecedented wave of AI-generated misinformation about the US-Israel war with Iran is being monetized by online creators with growing access to generative AI technology, experts have told BBC Verify.

Our analysis has found numerous examples of AI-generated videos and fabricated satellite imagery being used to make false and misleading claims about the conflict which have collectively amassed hundreds of millions of views online.

“The scale is truly alarming and this war has made it impossible to ignore now,” says Timothy Graham, a digital media expert at the Queensland University of Technology.

“What used to require professional video production can now be done in minutes with AI tools. The barrier to creating convincing synthetic conflict footage has essentially collapsed,” he says.

The US and Israel began launching strikes on Iran on 28 February. In response, Iran has launched drone and missile attacks on Israel, as well as multiple Gulf nations and US military assets in the region.

Many have turned to social media to search for and share the latest information and to help make sense of a fast-moving week of conflict.

The platform X announced this week it will temporarily suspend creators from its monetization programme if they post AI-generated videos of armed conflict without a label.

The scheme rewards eligible users whose posts create large numbers of views, likes, shares and comments with payments from the platform.

“It’s a notable signal that they’ve noticed that this is a big problem,” says Mahsa Alimardani, a researcher specialising in Iran at the Oxford Internet Institute.

We asked TikTok and Meta, the company of Facebook and Instagram, if they intend to take similar action, but they did not respond to our requests for comment.

A typical example of an AI-generated video that BBC Verify has tracked appears to show missiles striking the city of Tel Aviv in Israel as the sound of explosions rings out in the background.

Two screenshots from the AI-generated video with a red "AI-generated" label

This video has been featured in more than 300 posts which have then been shared tens of thousands of times across social media platforms.

Some X users turned to the platform’s AI chatbot Grok to confirm the video’s veracity. But in many cases seen by BBC Verify, Grok wrongly insisted that the AI-generated video was real.

Another fake video, viewed tens of millions of times, claims to show Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper in flames, while a crowd of people seem to be running towards the building.

This AI-generated footage spread widely online at a time of considerable concern from residents and tourists about the drone and missile strikes on the city.

“Fake videos like these have a detrimental impact on people’s trust in the verified information they see online and make it much harder to document real evidence,” says Alimardani.

Two screenshots from the AI-generated video with a red "AI-generated" label

A new feature of this conflict analysed by BBC Verify is the emergence of AI-generated satellite imagery.

We verified multiple real videos showing Iranian drone and missile strikes on the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain on the first day of the conflict.

A fabricated photo, shared on X by the state-linked newspaper The Tehran Times, began to spread the following day and claimed to show extensive damage to the base.

The fake appears to be based on real satellite imagery of a US naval base in Bahrain taken in February 2025, which is publicly available online.

According to Google’s SynthID watermark detector, the fake image was generated or edited with a Google AI tool.

The real satellite image next to the fake satellite image with the identical vehicle locations highlighted

Three vehicles parked outside are also in the exact same spot in both the genuine satellite imagery and the AI picture – despite the photos allegedly having been taken a year apart.

Google’s AI tools, including its video generator Veo, are on the growing list of popular AI platforms, like OpenAI’s Sora model, Chinese AI app Seedance, and Grok which is built into X.

“The number of different tools that are now available to create a wide range of highly realistic AI manipulations is unprecedented,” says Henry Ajder, a generative AI expert.

“We have never seen these tools so available, so easy and so cheap to use,” he says.

This has led to a surge of AI-generated content online “because the pipeline onto social media can now be almost fully automated,” says Victoire Rio, executive director of the technology policy non-profit What To Fix.

The real image showing a cloud of smoke next to the fake image appearing to show a large explosion
This fake image of a huge explosion at a US base in Iraq has been manipulated using AI based on a real picture showing a much smaller cloud of smoke

X’s head of product said on Tuesday that “99%” of the accounts spreading AI-generated videos like these were trying to “game monetization” by posting content that will generate large amounts of engagement in return for payment through the app’s Creator Revenue Sharing programme.

The platform does not publish how many accounts are part of the programme, or how much money they can make.

But Graham estimates that X could pay about “eight to 12 dollars per million verified user impressions”.

“Creators have to hit five million organic impressions in three months, plus hold an X premium subscription, to be eligible,” he added.

“Once you’re in, viral AI-generated content is basically a money printer,” he says. “They’ve built the ultimate misinformation enterprise.”

X did not respond to our request for comment or our questions about the Creator Revenue Sharing programme.

Experts have told BBC Verify that while many social media companies say they are trying to change their moderation and detection systems to address the scale and speed at which AI-generated content spreads, there is no simple solution to the problem.

“The deeper issue is that engagement-driven monetisation and accurate information are fundamentally in tension, and no platform has fully resolved that tension or perhaps ever will,” says Graham.

[BBC]

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