Jemimah Rodrigues, fighting internal battles she admits saw her “cry almost every day,” delivered a performance for the ages on Wednesday, smashing an unbeaten 127 to anchor India’s record-breaking chase against defending champions Australia and secure a spot in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final.
In a spectacular semi-final clash at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Rodrigues’ maiden World Cup century fueled India’s pursuit of a monumental 339-run target. The young batter combined with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (89) for a match-defining 167-run partnership, guiding the Women in Blue to a stunning five-wicket victory with nine balls to spare—the highest successful chase in Women’s ODI World Cup history.
The monumental effort comes as a profound moment of redemption for the Mumbai player, who was earlier dropped from the playing XI after a run of low scores. Speaking after the win, a visibly emotional Rodrigues opened up about the immense pressure she had been under throughout the tournament.
“I’ve cried almost every day through this tour. I wasn’t doing well mentally, going through anxiety,” Rodrigues confessed, tearfully thanking her support system. “It feels like a dream and it still hasn’t sunk in. Everything that happened so far was a setup for this.”
Rodrigues, who came in at a crucial No. 3 position, emphasized that the knock was purely for the team. “Today wasn’t about my fifty or my hundred, it was about making India win,” she stated, reflecting the dedication that saw her power through 134 deliveries, punctuated by 14 boundaries.
Her heroic century has not only silenced critics but also firmly established her as one of India’s most crucial players as they march on to contest the final on November 2nd.
NAVI MUMBAI, INDIA – The Indian women’s cricket team scripted one of its most memorable chapters in history on Thursday, defeating defending champions Australia by five wickets in a thrilling ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium. Anchored by a phenomenal, unbeaten century from Jemimah Rodrigues, Team India successfully completed a record-breaking chase of 339 runs, securing their spot in the tournament final.
The monumental victory, which saw India pull off the highest-ever run chase in Women’s World Cup knockout history, was a moment of profound redemption for the squad, who have faced years of near-misses against the formidable Australian side.
Rodrigues and Kaur Lead the Charge
Chasing Australia’s imposing total of 338, built on a brilliant 119 from Phoebe Litchfield, India’s innings was spearheaded by the calm brilliance of Jemimah Rodrigues. Playing a knock she later described as a “gift of faith and patience,” Rodrigues anchored the innings with a majestic 127 not out.
The chase received crucial acceleration from Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, whose aggressive 89 off 88 deliveries shattered the momentum of the Australian bowling attack. Timely contributions from Deepti Sharma (24) and Richa Ghosh (26) ensured the required run rate remained manageable.
The tension broke in the 49th over when Amanjot Kaur struck the winning boundary, sealing the famous win.
Emotional Theatre on the Field
The victory immediately triggered an outpouring of unbridled emotion. As the stadium erupted, Jemimah Rodrigues sprinted down the pitch to embrace Amanjot Kaur. She was quickly joined by the rest of the team, with Smriti Mandhana leaping into the embrace of her best friend.
The dugout captured similar scenes of pure, emotional theatre. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was visibly overcome, breaking down in tears of joy and relief as she shared hugs with the support staff. Rodrigues, the star of the night, acknowledged the roaring crowd with a flying kiss and folded hands, celebrating a victory that felt like fate rewarded.
Team India now advances to the final, where they will face South Africa on Sunday, carrying the unforgettable echoes of this historic night in Navi Mumbai.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior CPI(M) leader and Central Committee member, M.A. Baby, has openly criticized the Kerala government for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the central government’s PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme before holding detailed discussions within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
M.A. Baby stated that the situation of signing the PM SHRI MoU without prior deliberation within the Front should have been strictly avoided. He emphasized that clarity on the project’s implications should have been ensured before proceeding with the signing.
”Clarity should have been brought into the MoU before signing. The Chief Minister himself had stated this very point,” M.A. Baby said. “It is based on this situation that a Cabinet sub-committee has now been formed. Our focus should now be on how the sub-committee proceeds with its work.”
The CPI(M) leader’s statement comes amidst significant controversy surrounding the scheme, with the CPI, a key ally in the LDF, vehemently opposing the MoU, citing concerns that the scheme could infringe upon the state’s educational autonomy. The government has since decided to temporarily freeze the MoU and has constituted a sub-committee to re-examine the deal.
M.A. Baby also acknowledged the crucial meeting he held with CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam, which eventually led to the government’s decision to temporarily halt the agreement. He added that he would not seek a ‘post-mortem’ on the CPI’s initial opposition to the scheme. He also clarified that the CPI(M) Central Committee would not be reviewing the matter, as the ministerial sub-committee is already handling the review.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite facing a severe financial crisis, the Kerala government has approved a significant increase—over three times the previous amount—in the funds allocated to the Governor’s office (Raj Bhavan). Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal issued an order sanctioning an additional ₹25 lakh under the head of ‘Discretionary Grants’ for the Raj Bhavan.
The special allocation was made by relaxing treasury controls based on the direct instruction of the Chief Minister.
The budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year already earmarks ₹25 lakh under this specific head. The newly sanctioned additional ₹25 lakh takes the Governor’s expense under the Discretionary Grants to a staggering ₹50 lakh. This figure marks an increase of over three times compared to the expenditure of ₹16.25 lakh in the 2023-24 financial year under the same category. The order for releasing the funds was issued by the Finance Department yesterday.
Neither the government nor the Governor has provided a clarification on the necessity for such a large additional sum. The Raj Bhavan’s Additional Chief Secretary had requested the funds in a letter to the Chief Minister on August 18. The current financial year’s budget allocation for the Raj Bhavan’s overall expenses is ₹13.94 crore. With this extra grant, the total expenditure for the Raj Bhavan is set to escalate sharply this fiscal year.
MUMBAI: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), through Reliance Intelligence Limited, and Google have announced a strategic partnership to roll out Google’s premium AI Pro plan to eligible Jio users free of charge for 18 months. The offer, valued at a substantial ₹35,100 per user, provides access to Google’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools.
The complimentary 18-month plan, which can be claimed once per unique mobile number via the MyJio app, is accessible to eligible Jio retail users. Early access to the offer is being prioritized for users in the 18-25 age bracket who are on unlimited 5G plans, subject to e-KYC verification. Users must continuously maintain an active 5G plan to retain the offer benefits.
Key Benefits of the Google AI Pro Plan
The Google AI Pro subscription unlocks a suite of high-tier benefits, including:
Enhanced access to the powerful Gemini 2.5 Pro model.
Higher limits for generating images and videos using the advanced Nano Banana and Veo 3.1 models.
Expanded access to Notebook LM for advanced study and research purposes.
A generous 2 TB of cloud storage.
Strategic Collaboration and Vision
In addition to the consumer offering, the partnership deepens RIL’s technical collaboration with Google, granting RIL access to advanced AI hardware accelerators like Tensor Processing Units (TPUs).
Furthermore, this move establishes Reliance Intelligence as a strategic go-to-market partner for Google Cloud, aiming to accelerate the adoption of Gemini Enterprise across Indian organizations. Reliance Intelligence will also develop and offer its own pre-built enterprise AI agents within the Gemini Enterprise platform.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries Limited, commented, “Reliance Intelligence aims to make intelligence services accessible to 1.45 billion Indians.” Echoing this sentiment, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, stated, “Today’s announcement will put Google’s cutting-edge AI tools in the hands of consumers, businesses and India’s vibrant developer community. I’m excited for how this partnership will help expand access to AI across India.”
MUMBAI: Having been voted out of the powerful Tata Trusts, sources indicate that Mehli Mistry is actively weighing his options, including taking legal recourse to challenge the decision of the majority of trustees.
Legal experts, however, caution that Mistry faces a challenging task: he must successfully prove that the decision to vote him out was procedurally flawed, arbitrary, or contrary to the Trust’s governing documents.
Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner, KS Legal & Associates, noted that Mistry’s immediate avenues for challenge are largely twofold: internal redressal and judicial intervention. “Legally speaking, while the Trusts operate under their respective deeds allowing majority decision-making, Mistry could still challenge the process if he can demonstrate that the decision to oust him was procedurally flawed, arbitrary, or contrary to the Trust’s governing documents or the 2024 resolution that purportedly envisaged lifetime reappointments,” Chandwani said.
The Statutory Challenge
Since the Tata Trusts are public charitable trusts based in Maharashtra, they fall under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950, which provides oversight by the Charity Commissioner.
Akshat Khetan, Founder at AU Corporate Advisory and Legal Services, explained that any change in the composition of trustees must be reported to the Charity Commissioner through a “change report.”
“If Mistry believed that his rejection for reappointment violates the trust deed, lacks due process, or has been carried out in bad faith, he has the option to approach the Charity Commissioner to challenge the validity of the trustees’ decision,” Khetan stated. The Commissioner holds broad powers to examine whether the exclusion of a trustee complies with the law and the trust’s governing documents.
High Court and Civil Court Options
If the rejection involves broader issues of governance, Mistry can also approach the civil courts under Section 92 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) or invoke the supervisory jurisdiction of the High Court. These actions would seek declaratory and injunctive relief on grounds of breach of fiduciary norms or ultra vires exercise of trustee powers.
Despite these legal routes, Chandwani emphasized that courts are generally reluctant to interfere in internal trust governance unless mala fides, lack of authority, or manifest illegality is established.
“His most pragmatic path lies in combining a limited legal challenge to preserve his locus with parallel behind-the-scenes negotiations, rather than relying solely on protracted litigation that risks judicial deference to majority discretion,” she added.
Ketan Mukhija, Senior Partner at Burgeon Law, echoed this sentiment, stating that courts can intervene where there is a breach of trust, mala fides, or procedural irregularity, but they rarely disturb bona fide decisions made in accordance with the deed.
Mistry, once a trusted confidant of the late Ratan Tata, was initially appointed to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust by the former group chairman himself in October 2022. Athira TS, Associate Partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, noted that Mistry’s ouster highlights evolving power dynamics at the Tata Trusts, which are crucial to the control of Tata Sons.
Thiruvananthapuram, October 30, 2025 — The Directorate of Kerala State Lotteries announced the results for the Karunya Plus Lottery (KN-595) draw today, revealing a new Crorepathi in the state. The top prize of ₹1 Crore has been awarded to a lucky ticket purchased in Karunagapally.
The draw, held at Gorky Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, saw ticket number PA 873206 clinch the first prize. The second prize of ₹30 lakh went to a ticket sold in Alappuzha, and the third prize of ₹5 lakh was awarded to a winner from Kayamkulam.
All winners are officially advised to verify their numbers with the results published in the Kerala Government Gazette and surrender their winning tickets within 90 days.
Major Prize Winners
Prize
Amount
Winning Ticket Number
Sold At
1st Prize
₹1,00,00,000
PA 873206
Karunagapally
2nd Prize
₹30,00,000
PD 627724
Alappuzha
3rd Prize
₹5,00,000
PE 309178
Kayamkulam
Consolation Prize Winners (₹5,000 each)
The consolation prize of ₹5,000 goes to the following ticket numbers which matched the first prize number but with different series letters:
Kochi: The much-anticipated acting debut of Vismaya Mohanlal, daughter of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, officially commenced today with the pooja ceremony of her film, Thudakkam (The Beginning), in Kochi. The event marked a major milestone for the star kid, who is set to lead the action-entertainment venture.
The ceremony was a family affair, with Mohanlal, his wife Suchitra Mohanlal, and son Pranav Mohanlal in attendance to cheer on Vismaya. In a gesture loaded with cinematic heritage, Suchitra Mohanlal performed the switch-on, while Vismaya’s brother, actor Pranav Mohanlal, delivered the first clap for the film.
Thudakkam is being directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, known for his blockbuster 2018. The film is produced under the prestigious banner of Aashirvad Cinemas by Antony Perumbavoor.
A Proud Father’s Blessing
Speaking at the event, Mohanlal expressed his immense pride and surprise that both his children had chosen careers in cinema. “I never aspired to be an actor, but it was my destiny. I believe the same holds true for my children,” the superstar remarked, recalling that he named her Vismaya because “everything in my life has felt like a wonder.”
He added that he fully supported Vismaya’s interest, especially with the solid backing of their own production house and Antony Perumbavoor. Mohanlal also introduced Ashish Antony, Antony Perumbavoor’s son, who will be playing a significant role in the movie.
Action Focus Expected
Vismaya is widely known not just as a writer (she previously published a book of poetry, Grains of Stardust), but also for her passion and training in martial arts, specifically Muay Thai. This background has fueled speculation that Thudakkam will be an action-oriented film tailored to showcase her skills. The film’s title poster itself, featuring a clenched fist, hinted at a theme centered around combat or action.
The action entertainer features music by Jakes Bejoy and cinematography by Jomon T. John. The screenplay is written by a team including Jude Anthany Joseph, Lineesh Nellickal, and Akhil Krishna. With Vismaya following in her brother Pranav’s footsteps—whose debut lead role was also in an action film (Aadhi)—expectations are soaring for this new cinematic journey.
Pune, India — An 82-year-old retired state government officer in Pune collapsed and died of shock after realizing he and his wife had been duped of nearly ₹1.2 crore in a chilling and elaborate “digital arrest” cyber fraud. The tragic death highlights the devastating psychological toll of sophisticated online scams targeting senior citizens.
The victim, who was reportedly under “immense mental pressure” following the loss of his life savings, collapsed at his home on October 22 and was declared dead upon arrival at a local hospital. His 80-year-old wife filed a complaint with Pune Cyber Police, detailing a month-long ordeal orchestrated by sophisticated fraudsters.
The extensive fraud began on August 16 when the elderly man received a call from an impersonator claiming to be an “encounter specialist” with the Mumbai Police. He was falsely informed that his bank account and Aadhaar details had been compromised and used in a major money-laundering case involving a private airline.
The coercion escalated when another fraudster, posing as an IPS officer from the CBI’s Delhi office, threatened the couple with “jail arrest.” To avoid arrest, the man was instructed to keep his phone camera switched on, effectively placing the couple under a harrowing three-day “digital arrest.” During this time, the conmen extracted all their vital banking and Aadhaar details and coerced them into transferring ₹1.19 crore of their savings, including funds sent by their three daughters settled abroad, into five different accounts.
The calls abruptly stopped after the money transfer, leading the couple to realize they had been swindled. The victim’s wife informed investigators that her husband had been “deeply disturbed” by the relentless harassment and the loss of their entire savings.
Cybercrime experts have issued a severe warning to the public, emphasizing that no legitimate law enforcement agency will ever conduct an “arrest” over a phone call or demand personal credentials or money under such circumstances. Citizens are urged to verify any such suspicious calls with their local police immediately before reacting, as fraudsters often operate from remote locations using VPNs and masking their identities. The Pune Cyber Police are currently investigating the case based on the wife’s FIR.
Kochi: The popular YouTube collective ‘Karikku,’ which has quickly captured the hearts of Malayalam audiences, is officially making its move to the big screen. The team announced that they are venturing into film production under the banner ‘Karikku Studios.’ The exciting news, eagerly awaited by fans, was shared via an Instagram post.
“We are delighted to announce the launch of ‘Karikku Studios,’ a space dedicated to producing films and web series for theatres and OTT platforms. This dream would not have been possible without the incredible love and support you have shown us over the years,” the Karikku team stated on Instagram.
‘Karikku Studios’ aims to be active in the cinema, web series, and OTT platform segments. The team also announced that their first project announcement will be made soon. The Karikku team features popular actors like Anu K. Aniyan, Sabareesh Sajjin, Jeevan Mammen Stephen, Anand Mathews, and George Kora, who have gained widespread attention for their excellent performances. Fans have been highly anticipating their entry into feature films.
Collaboration with Dr. Ananthu Productions
According to unofficial reports, Karikku Studio’s debut film will commence production by the end of this year. Dr. Ananthu Productions is expected to be the co-producer of the film. Dr. Ananthu is also the co-producer of ‘Athiradi,’ the debut production venture of director Basil Joseph. The Karikku team sought continued encouragement and blessings from everyone as they embark on this new and exciting journey into filmmaking.
