In a major blow to trans-border smuggling networks, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police has arrested four drug smugglers and recovered 5.06 kg heroin from their possession in two separate cases, Punjab's Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Friday.

Those arrested have been identified as Gurjant Singh, alias Kalu, of Bachiwind village in Amritsar, Jagjit Singh of Rania village in Amritsar, Sahil Kumar, alias Sahil, of Ghariyala village in Tarn Taran and Rinku of Basti Dune Wali in Guru Har Sahai in Ferozepur.

DGP Yadav said that the arrested individuals were in contact with Pakistan-based drug smugglers, who were using drones to smuggle narcotics across the border to further supply in different areas of Amritsar.

Two separate first information reports (FIRs) have been registered under relevant sections of the NDPS Act at Police Stations Cantonment and Sadar in Amritsar, he said.

The DGP said that more arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days.

Opener Ryan Rickelton scored his maiden ODI hundred (103) as half-centuries from skipper Temba Bavuma(58), Rassie van der Dussen (52) and Aiden Markaram (52 not out) propelled South Africa to 315/6 in 50 overs against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B clash at National Stadium.

South Africa's lineup for the match was missing both Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs. Cricket South Africa (CSA) later confirmed that Klaasen had been sidelined as a precaution due to a soft tissue injury in his left elbow. Meanwhile, Stubbs was unlikely to have been in contention for the first-choice XI regardless.

Opting to bat first, South Africa had a steady yet cautious start, with Afghan pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai extracting significant movement off the surface. Tony de Zorzi struggled to get going and was the first to depart, falling to Mohammad Nabi for 11 after an attempted drive resulted in a mistimed shot straight to mid-on. With South Africa losing their first wicket early, Bavuma joined Rickelton at the crease, and together they navigated the testing conditions.

As every year, International Mother Language Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the city this year as well. On Friday, the Punjabi Jagriti March was organized by the Punjabi Jagriti Manch to promote the Punjabi language. Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat flagged off the march. The march started from Lyallpur Khalsa School located on Nakodar Road and passed through various areas of Jalandhar city before concluding at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall.

Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab President Aman Arora was the special guest on this occasion. He congratulated the people and emphasized the importance of the mother tongue. The Secretary of the Manch and Advisor to the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board, Deepak Bali, led the march. AAP leaders Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, MLA Raman Arora, Mayor Vineet Dhir, Deputy Mayor Malkit Singh, Pawan Tinu, and Chandan Grewal were also present at the event.

Additionally, Jalandhar's Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Aggarwal attended the program. Singers Gurnam Bhullar, Kamal Heer, Jazzy B, Preet Harpal, and Dalwinder Dayalpuri entertained the school and college students with their songs.

Salman Khan took to his official Instagram handle and penned a heartfelt birthday wish for the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Sharing a picture of him on IG, the 'Sultan' actor shared, "Wishing His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, my friend and brother, a very happy birthday!"

He also wrote, "May your special day be filled with joy and surrounded by the love of your people. I look forward to visiting soon."

Moreover, Salman Khan recently visited Dubai to support his nephew Ayaan Agnihotri’s new song "Universal Laws". At the song launch event, host DJ Bliss praised Salman Khan for supporting his family. Reacting to this, the 'Tiger Zinda Hai' actor said, “That’s what nepotism is.” The video of the conversation is doing rounds on social media.

Ahead of India’s highly-anticipated clash with Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, white-ball all-round great Yuvraj Singh believes if skipper Rohit Sharma still gets runs despite struggling at the crease, that’s the most dangerous thing for any opposing teams.

The India-Pakistan Group A clash in the Champions Trophy will be played at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. In 19 innings against Pakistan, Rohit has amassed 873 runs at an average of 51.35 and strike rate of 92.38, including hitting two centuries and five fifties.

Rohit had a good start with the bat in the 2025 Champions Trophy by making a typically quick 41 before falling in the first power-play, as vice-captain Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 101 led India to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh.

"Rohit Sharma, whether in form or out of form, it doesn’t matter to me. I would always back my match-winners. In ODI cricket, especially in white-ball formats, he has been India’s biggest match-winner as a batsman, alongside Virat Kohli.”

The payroll data of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) released on Friday show that as many as 17.01 lakh new employees were added in December 2024 while 20,360 new establishments were brought under the social security ambit of the ESI Scheme during the month, ensuring social security to more workers.

Out of the total 17.01 lakh employees added during the month, 8.22 lakh employees amounting to around 48.35 per cent of the total registrations belong to the age group of up to 25 years which constitute new registrations for those into their first jobs, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said.

Also, the gender-wise analysis of the payroll data indicates that the net enrolment of female members has been 3.46 lakh in December. Besides, a total of 73 transgender employees have also got registered under the ESI Scheme during the month.

The ESIC payroll data comes close on heels of the figures released by the Ministry of Statistics earlier this week which show that Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India’s urban areas among persons of age 15 years and above has risen to 50.4 per cent in quarter October-December 2024 from 49.9 per cent in the same quarter of the previous year. This reflects an increase in employment in the country.

A team from the cyber cell of the Gurugram Police has arrested two accused including a bank official for allegedly providing bank accounts to cybercriminals, an official said.

Priyanshu Diwan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (cybercrime), said that the arrested accused have been identified as Avinash Sharma and Aditya Chaturvedi, both residents of Delhi.

According to the police, a man filed a complaint at the Cyber Crime Police Station East in November 2024, that he was duped of Rs 4.97 crore in the name of investing in the stock market. During the probe, the police arrested the suspects from different parts of Delhi for the alleged involvement in the crime on Wednesday.

Punjab Police has busted a target killing module with the arrest of two operatives from Rajpura in Patiala district, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Friday. The module was being operated by foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon.

Those arrested have been identified as Malkit Singh, alias Max, a resident of Rodala village in Amritsar district, and Sandeep Singh, alias Deep, a resident of Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district.

Police teams have also recovered five pistols, comprising three .32 caliber, one .30 caliber and one .315 caliber country-made pistol, along with 15 cartridges and 1,300 intoxicant tablets from their possession.

Cops also impounded their black-coloured Honda Activa Scooter (PB 23 AA 0795).

A suspected outbreak of bird flu in Telangana’s Wanaparthy district has resulted in the death of a large number of chickens at a farm during the last three days, leading the authorities to sound an alert.

Authorities have collected samples from the affected farm and sent them to a laboratory to confirm if it is the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which recently hit a few districts in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The death of 2,500 chickens was reported from a farm in Konnur in Madanapuram mandal, said K. Venkateshwar, District Veterinary and Animal Husbandry officer of Wanaparthy district

Officials said the mysterious disease was detected at the Premium Poultry Farm, causing concern among the owners of other farms.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday searched residential premises in Chandigarh and Mohali in Punjab of an alleged suspect in Canada's biggest-ever gold heist of more than $20 million in 2023 on fake documents, officials said.

The suspect, Simran Preet Panesar, a former warehouse facility manager with Air Canada, has been staying in Chandigarh's Sector 38 and Sector 79 of Mohali, near here.

He has been facing a Canada-wide warrant for his alleged role in the robbery at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The raids were conducted simultaneously on both residences of Panesar.