Uttar Pradesh will require every sweet shop to display a 'Use by Date' from October 15, covering loose sweets for the first time. FSDA also bans two coolant chemicals in milk units. Uttar Pradesh will require every sweet sold across the state to carry a visible "Use by Date" from October 15, the state's Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) Department has ruled. The order matters most for loose sweets, which until now carried no compulsory expiry marking, officials said on Sunday. The directive was issued by Dr Roshan Jacob, Commissioner of the FSDA Department. It applies to all sweets kept in storage or put on display for sale, whether packaged or sold loose. Department inspections at sweet-making units and retail counters found that buyers were often left without clear details on when a product was made or when it should be eaten by. Without that information, the FSDA said, shoppers cannot judge how fresh a sweet is or how long it will keep. Shelf life varies widely by product. According to the department, some sweets last just a single day while others stay good for up to 30 days, with taste, quality and freshness declining as time passes. Marking the date, officials argue, tells buyers exactly how long they have to safely finish the item. Under the rules in place before this order, expiry or "Use by Date" labelling was already compulsory only for packaged sweets. Loose sweets had no equivalent requirement, leaving a gap the new measure is meant to close. The department framed the change as a push for greater openness in the confectionery trade. The FSDA also announced a separate ban on the use of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in units that process milk and milk products. Inspections had turned up establishments using the two chemicals as coolants during steps such as pasteurisation and refrigeration. The agency warned that both substances carry serious health dangers if they reach food, and said the ban was ordered because a leak in processing equipment could let the coolants seep into milk. It pointed to propylene glycol as a safer substitute, noting that many milk processors already rely on it. Uttar Pradesh sweets, Use by Date, FSDA, loose sweets expiry, Roshan Jacob, food safety UP, ethylene glycol milk, sweet shelf life

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Haiti led Costa Rica 2-0 in their Concacaf Nations League League A Group A tie on Monday, moving top of the table on six points as Costa Rica stayed bottom. Haiti held a commanding 2-0 lead over Costa Rica on Monday, 28 September, in their Concacaf Nations League League A Group A fixture at Sabina Park. The result, still being played out in the second half, put Haiti firmly in control of the group. Jean Bellegarde opened the scoring in the ninth minute, converting an assist from D. Jean Jacques to give Haiti an early advantage. The lead doubled before the break when Costa Rica defender Francisco Calvo turned the ball into his own net in the 39th minute. Haiti went into half-time 2-0 up and remained ahead as the match passed the hour of play. The win moved Haiti to the top of League A Group A. After two matches, they had won both, scoring five goals and conceding two for a goal difference of plus three and a total of six points. It marked a strong opening to the campaign for a side sitting clear at the summit of the table. Costa Rica anchored to the bottom For Costa Rica, the defeat left them rooted at the foot of the group. Two games had brought two losses, three goals scored and six conceded, a goal difference of minus three and no points. The own goal added to a difficult night for a team already searching for its first result of the tournament. The match was one of several played across the region on the same day. In the same group, Curaçao beat Nicaragua 1-0, keeping Curaçao level with Haiti on six points and second on goal difference. Dominica lost 1-0 to Puerto Rico in another fixture on the schedule. The Group A picture Haiti's victory shaped a tight table at the top. Curaçao sat second, also with two wins from two and six points, separated from the leaders only by a goal difference of plus two. The Dominican Republic held third place on three points from a single win, having scored three and conceded two. Below them, the standings turned sharply. Trinidad and Tobago were fourth with no points from one match, followed by Nicaragua in fifth, who had lost both of their opening games. Costa Rica occupied sixth and last, the only side without a goal to their credit in the points column and the heaviest negative goal difference in the group. Elsewhere in the day's fixtures, Trinidad and Tobago were due to face the Dominican Republic at a 02:00 kick-off, while other regional ties were scheduled through the evening. The results across the round continued to reshape the League A standings as the group stage progressed. Haiti's early goals and clean sheet through the first half underlined the gap that had opened between the group's leaders and its lower half. With six points from a possible six, Haiti carried momentum into the remainder of the campaign, while Costa Rica faced the task of recovering ground after two straight defeats. Haiti vs Costa Rica, Concacaf Nations League, League A Group A, Jean Bellegarde, Francisco Calvo own goal, Sabina Park, Concacaf standings, Haiti football

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McDonald's is building its own advertising network, following Amazon and Walmart, and hopes it could grow into a $1 billion business. McDonald's said on Wednesday that it will build its own media network, selling advertising space across its restaurant system in a move that copies the playbook of retail giants Amazon and Walmart. The company made the announcement at its investor day, held at its Chicago headquarters. The program is already in a pilot phase. In August, 450 company-owned U.S. restaurants began showing advertisements for other companies on their digital drive-thru order boards. The pilot has not yet reached the franchisees who run most of the chain's roughly 14,000 U.S. locations. Even so, McDonald's said the venture could eventually become a $1 billion business. Morgan Flatley, the company's global chief marketing officer and executive vice president of new business ventures, framed the timing around a fast-expanding market. "Commerce media is one of the fastest-growing areas in advertising, and it's expected to reach more than $100 billion in the U.S. alone by 2028," she said during an investor presentation. Flatley described the appeal in blunt financial terms. "It's an opportunity to generate revenue for the system with little in the way of additional cost, no operational complexity and no disruption to our customer experience," she said. The potential for high-margin revenue arrives as McDonald's faces rising costs. Prices for key inputs such as beef are climbing, and the chain plans to spend billions of dollars on restaurant upgrades over the next decade. A steady advertising income stream could help offset those pressures. A first for the restaurant industry Within the restaurant business, McDonald's would be a pioneer in running its own media network. Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden told CNBC that the company's scale sets it apart from other advertisers. "We have one of the most valuable brands of any company of our size and scale in any industry," Borden said. He pointed to the chain's reach as its main advantage: "We serve about 85% of the U.S. population at least once a year, so we have reach that's quite unique, and we have 14,000 locations across the U.S., which means we're in every community, and we're connecting with every consumer." That reach is the core asset McDonald's is now trying to sell to advertisers. The drive-thru boards in the pilot put brand messages in front of customers at the point of purchase, a moment retailers have found valuable. What Amazon and Walmart have shown McDonald's is drawing on a model that has already proven lucrative for large retailers. Amazon reported $68.6 billion in advertising service sales in 2025, a figure that accounted for just under 10% of the company's total revenue. Amazon's ads appear across its shopping pages, on Prime Video, on its delivery lockers and on its live streaming platform Twitch, as well as on third-party apps and websites. Walmart has built a similar operation. The retailer does not disclose specific sales figures for its advertising arm, but it said Connect, its U.S. ad business, grew sales 43% in its fiscal second quarter. Walmart runs ads on its app, on its website and inside its more than 4,600 U.S. stores, and it also places them on outside platforms such as Instagram. In late 2024, Walmart bought television maker Vizio, a deal aimed partly at expanding its advertising business. These networks tend to be high-margin operations, which is a large part of their appeal. For McDonald's, the same logic applies: it can charge advertisers to use screens and space it already owns, without adding significant expense. The media network was not the only initiative McDonald's laid out at its investor day. Executives also detailed plans to lift sales through costly restaurant upgrades and improvements to food quality. The advertising venture, however, marks the company's clearest attempt yet to turn its enormous physical and customer footprint into a new source of revenue rather than relying solely on selling food. McDonald's media network, commerce media, McDonald's advertising, retail media, Morgan Flatley, Ian Borden, drive-thru ads, McDonald's investor day

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India now has 47 Michelin Key hotels for 2026, up from 36 last year. Taj Falaknuma Palace and Taj Lake Palace each earned three Keys. India now has 47 hotels carrying Michelin Keys for 2026, up from 36 a year earlier, an increase of almost a third in the second year the French guide has rated properties in the country. The Michelin Guide handed the top mark, three Keys, to Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad and Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur. The 47 Key holders form part of a wider 2026 selection in which 112 Indian hotels entered the guide, Michelin said in a statement responding to a query from The Times of India. Of those recognised, two hotels received three Keys, 15 received two Keys and 30 received one Key, with a further 65 listed as selected hotels. India's tally represents 10% of the 470 hotels across 79 destinations awarded one, two or three Keys worldwide. The two-Key list is dominated by established luxury names. Oberoi properties in Agra, Udaipur and Bandhavgarh took two Keys each, as did Leela Palace in Delhi and Jaipur, Raffles in Jaipur and Udaipur, and The Imperial in Delhi. Mumbai's Taj Mahal Tower, described as India's first luxury hotel, received one Key, alongside the adjacent Taj Mahal Tower. Michelin, the tyre company, began grading hotels in India with Keys only last year, extending a system it built up over a century. The firm first started rating restaurants, and later hotels, in its guidebook to encourage people to buy cars and drive more when the vehicles were still a novelty. The company declined to say how many properties its teams assessed in total. "We do not disclose the total number of properties evaluated by our teams," the statement said, before setting out the published breakdown of Key holders and selected hotels for the 2026 list. How the Keys are decided Michelin said the Keys in India were awarded after anonymous visits and stays by inspectors who are full-time employees of the group. "This anonymity ensures that our teams have the same experience as any other guest," the statement said. "This is why a Michelin Key holds the same value, whether it is awarded to a hotel in India, a ryokan in Japan or a boutique hotel in France." The assessments rest on five universal criteria applied in every destination: excellence in architecture and design; quality and consistency of service; overall personality and character; value for price; and contribution to the neighbourhood. Hotels do not qualify by meeting one of these, Michelin said, but all of them. One Key marks "a very special stay," two an "exceptional stay" and three an "extraordinary stay." On its website, the company likens the award to its food ratings: "The same way the Michelin Star recognises restaurants for outstanding cooking, the Michelin Key recognises hotels for outstanding stays." The company did not reveal how many inspectors travelled to India or details of their trips, saying it wanted to preserve their anonymity. It also did not say how the cost of rating Indian hotels over the past two years was covered. Restaurants still wait for stars While hotels now compete for Keys, restaurants in India have yet to receive a single Michelin star. Many Indian chefs working abroad have earned stars, but eateries within the country remain outside the star system. Asked whether it plans to begin rating restaurants in India, Michelin said: "At this stage, we have no information to share on this subject... will communicate in due course should an announcement be made regarding this market." The gap is a source of frustration in the hospitality trade, where some point out that destinations such as Vietnam, Dubai and Thailand took the initiative, and the funding, to secure stars for their restaurants. "India has got some of the best hotels in the world and our cuisine is known globally. Having rated restaurants will give an impetus to food tourism," said a leading hotelier who asked not to be named. "Indian chefs abroad have stars but Indian eateries don't have the same. This is something we need to work on as a country, especially as our foreign tourist arrivals remain way below the pre-Covid number even as the number of Indians travelling abroad keeps rising." For hotel managers, the arrival of Keys adds a new pressure long familiar to chefs: the prospect of anonymous inspectors returning to check whether a property still deserves its rating, or is ready to climb higher. Michelin Key hotels India, Michelin Guide 2026, Taj Falaknuma Palace, Taj Lake Palace, luxury hotels India, Michelin hotel ratings, Oberoi Leela Raffles, food tourism India

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Lava Virat Curve 5G, Poco M8 Power and Vivo T5 Lite 5G compared on price in India, battery, display, chipset and cameras. Lava has launched the Virat Curve 5G in India, a phone built around a 6,000mAh battery and a MediaTek Dimensity 7100 chipset. It sits in the sub-Rs. 25,000 segment and is listed at Rs. 23,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration, in Ellora Slate, Heritage Indigo and Makrana Ivory colours. The device lands against two established rivals in the same price band: the Poco M8 Power and the Vivo T5 Lite 5G. The Poco M8 Power starts at Rs. 24,999 for its 6GB and 128GB variant, with an 8GB and 128GB option at Rs. 27,999, sold in Black, Blaze Orange and Green. The Vivo T5 Lite 5G is the cheapest of the three, starting at Rs. 19,999 for a 4GB and 128GB base model, rising to Rs. 21,999 for 6GB and 128GB and Rs. 24,999 for 6GB and 256GB, in Twilight Shadow and Wave Blue. Displays and software The Lava Virat Curve 5G carries a 6.75-inch full-HD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and runs Android 16. It also includes a rear display that shows notifications, battery status, time and emojis. The Poco M8 Power uses a larger 6.90-inch full-HD+ panel, also at 120Hz, protected by Gorilla Glass 7i, and runs Android 16 with HyperOS 3. The Vivo T5 Lite 5G takes a different route. Its 6.74-inch display runs at 120Hz but is limited to HD+ resolution, and it uses an LCD panel rather than AMOLED. Software is OriginOS 6 based on Android 16. Among the trio, only the Lava and Poco models offer AMOLED screens. Chipsets and battery The Lava Virat Curve 5G pairs its Dimensity 7100 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and its 6,000mAh battery supports 45W charging. The Poco M8 Power runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 4 Gen 4, offers up to 8GB of RAM with 128GB storage, and holds the largest cell of the three at 8,000mAh, also with 45W fast charging. The Vivo T5 Lite 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 and comes with 4GB or 6GB of RAM alongside 128GB or 256GB of storage. Its 6,500mAh battery supports 44W FlashCharge. That places battery capacity in Poco's favour, with Vivo second and Lava third, while charging speeds are close across all three. Cameras and build On the back, the Lava Virat Curve 5G has a 50-megapixel rear camera and a 13-megapixel selfie camera. It measures 162.26 x 73.51 x 8.55mm, weighs about 206 grams and carries an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance. The Poco M8 Power uses a dual rear setup led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor with a secondary camera. It is the largest and heaviest here at 169.70 x 79.14 x 8.40mm and 225 grams, with an IP65-rated build. The Vivo T5 Lite 5G also has a 50-megapixel main sensor, joined by a 0.08-megapixel secondary sensor and a 5-megapixel front camera. It measures 167.40 x 77.10 x 8.39mm, weighs 209 grams and shares the IP65 rating. Where each phone fits The three phones cluster at similar prices but pull in different directions. The Poco M8 Power leans on its 8,000mAh battery and the largest screen in the group, making it the pick for buyers who want the most capacity and display area. The Vivo T5 Lite 5G is the least expensive and offers a 6,500mAh battery with an IP65 build, though its display is held back by HD+ resolution. The Lava Virat Curve 5G stakes its case on a higher-resolution AMOLED display and the Dimensity 7100 platform, backed by the added rear display for glanceable information. Buyers weighing screen quality and chipset against raw battery size have a clear split to consider across the three models. Lava Virat Curve 5G, Poco M8 Power, Vivo T5 Lite 5G, phone comparison India, 5G phones under 25000, AMOLED display phones, smartphone price India

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Hamas accuses the US-created Board of Peace of siding with Israel after it ruled out any role for the UN refugee agency UNRWA in Gaza. Hamas on Saturday denounced a decision by the US-created Board of Peace to shut the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, out of operations in Gaza. Spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the move amounted to "a complete alignment with the Zionist [Israeli] position" and was designed to shut down the agency, cut off its aid to Palestinians and erase their right of return. The rebuke followed a statement the Board posted on X on Friday. It said UNRWA's standing in Gaza remained the same and that it would cooperate only with "trusted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip". The agency, the Board added, "fails on those litmus tests". Qassem called it odd that the body would take such a combative line against UNRWA while, in his words, failing to get aid into Gaza or to force Israel to honour the ceasefire and stop the daily killing of Palestinians there. UNRWA was established in 1949 and has spent decades running aid and schooling programmes for Palestinian refugees. Palestinians regard it as a guardian of their claim to return to their homeland. Israel has pushed for the agency to be shut down entirely. What the Board told the UN The Board of Peace briefed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and listed several UN bodies as partners in its plans for Gaza. UNRWA was left off that list. Its public position, however, appears firmer than its private dealings. The Associated Press reported on Friday that Board members had shown more openness to working with UNRWA away from public view. A Board official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said members had sat down with UNRWA representatives on several occasions. The official suggested the agency's programmes might carry on if they genuinely helped Gaza's residents, but insisted that "UNRWA's days are over". The Board has installed a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, who ran UNRWA until earlier this year, told the AP that members of that committee wanted to keep the agency involved. Lazzarini's warning on winter Lazzarini turned on the Board directly on Thursday, saying it had not lived up to what it was set up to do. In a post on X, he said Israeli authorities were still holding back basic supplies "as part of a wider plan to keep Gaza unlivable for Palestinians". "Grandiose plans is what the Board of Peace does best," he wrote. "Plans however will not keep the people of Gaza warm this winter." He called for Gaza's crossings to be reopened and for aid to enter in large volumes. The dispute over who governs Gaza's relief effort played out against continued bloodshed on the ground. Gaza's Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks killed seven Palestinians across the territory over the previous 48 hours. One of the dead had earlier been wounded and later died of those injuries. Reports of further strikes came from northern Gaza. The standoff leaves the future of the largest aid provider in Gaza unresolved. UNRWA continues to run services on the ground, including schools that reopened for the new academic year, even as the body now tasked with steering Gaza's recovery signals it intends to build a relief network without it. Hamas UNRWA, Board of Peace Gaza, UNRWA Gaza role, Hazem Qassem, Philippe Lazzarini, Gaza aid, Palestinian right of return, Gaza ceasefire

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Fast-fashion retailer Shein prepares for its first public earnings report as questions mount over slowing growth. Fast-fashion giant Shein is heading into its first public earnings test, a milestone that will hand investors and analysts their clearest look yet at the company's finances at a moment when its rapid expansion is showing signs of strain. The report marks a turning point for the retailer, which built its business on low-cost clothing sold directly to shoppers online. Until now, Shein has operated largely outside the glare of public financial disclosure. That is set to change as the company opens its books to fresh scrutiny. The timing is difficult. Concerns about slowing growth have been building around the retailer, raising the stakes for a debut set of results that will be measured closely for any evidence that its momentum is fading. For a company that grew quickly by undercutting rivals on price and speed, the earnings test carries added weight. Investors will be watching to see whether Shein can sustain the pace that made it one of the most talked-about names in online retail. The outcome of the report is likely to shape how markets view Shein's next phase, as it moves from a fast-growing private operator into a business held to the standards of public financial reporting. Shein, Shein earnings, fast fashion, Shein growth, online retail, e-commerce, Shein IPO, retail earnings

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Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of 115 financial charges. A points deduction now appears likely, though City are expected to appeal. An independent panel has found Manchester City guilty of the majority of the financial rule breaches contained in the 115 charges brought against the club, according to reports that emerged on 27 September 2026. The verdict came two years and 10 days after the hearing began, and 1,329 days after the charges were first laid. Neither the Premier League nor Manchester City announced the outcome. The news broke after The Athletic obtained details of the ruling. BBC Sport was subsequently told that the verdict had been sent to club executives during the week, and that those executives had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they were allowed to open the file. Despite the leak, the Premier League has said nothing publicly. Manchester City did not confirm whether they had been found guilty. In a statement, the club said that from its point of view the "process remains ongoing", and an appeal is expected. City have consistently maintained that they have done nothing wrong. The finding of guilt does not close the case. Because the charges were denied, the matter must now proceed to a separate sanction hearing convened by the same independent panel. BBC Sport has been told that this hearing could still be months away, and that its result may not be made public until any appeal has been completed. What punishment City could face Everything is said to be on the table at the sanction stage. The panel can impose fines, points deductions or even demotion from the Premier League. Given the seriousness of the breaches, some form of points deduction now appears likely, though that remains subject to City's anticipated appeal. The case differs from that of Chelsea earlier this year. Chelsea self-reported and admitted guilt, which allowed the Stamford Bridge club to negotiate directly with the Premier League and reach a sanctioning agreement. City could still choose a similar route and attempt to agree terms, but for now they are contesting the outcome. Beyond any sporting penalty, there is also the prospect of other clubs pursuing City for compensation, adding a further layer of legal uncertainty to a saga that already shows no sign of a clean ending. Liverpool trip and an uncertain title race The ruling arrives with the season underway and the timing of any punishment still unknown. Enzo Maresca's side travel to Liverpool on 11 October, when the Premier League resumes after the international break. A win there could take City six points clear at the top of the table. That lead, however, now sits under a cloud. With guilt established but the sanction unresolved, and an appeal on the horizon, the value of City's on-field results has been thrown into question. The club, its supporters and the wider game are left waiting to learn what the penalty will be and when the case might finally reach a definitive conclusion. When and how any sanction is applied will matter not only to Manchester City but to the Premier League as a whole. Rather than marking the end of a long-running process, the verdict looks more like the end of the beginning, with further hearings, an appeal and possible compensation claims still to come. Manchester City, 115 charges, Premier League, points deduction, financial rules, Enzo Maresca, football verdict, sanction hearing

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More than 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced by fighting along the Red Sea coast, with families crossing to Djibouti's Markazi camp to escape the bombs. Ibrahim Issa, a 50-year-old fisherman from the Yemeni coastal town of Dhubab, has ended up on a tarpaulin laid over sand inside a large open-sided warehouse far from home. The building sits at Markazi camp in Obock, in northern Djibouti, and it is crowded with Yemeni families who escaped their country by boat. Issa's hometown lies directly on the front line between Yemen's Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed forces loyal to the internationally recognised government. He left because of what the air raids were doing to his children. "When the sound of the planes start, and the kids hear the planes, they begin shouting and screaming," he said. "How could I just sit there when my kids are screaming and shaking in terror? As parents it is our responsibility... That is why we fled, to save them." As a fisherman, Issa already had a boat big enough to carry his family out. He also loaded several of the family's goats, which now graze on scraps near the shelters, foraging among discarded gas canisters and empty bottles. Other arrivals brought far less. A few managed small bundles of belongings, and one family even carried a tall metal shisha pipe known as a "jeraak." Many stepped off the boats worn out, wearing only the clothes they had on when they left. The families reached Markazi after crossing the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait, then travelling onward by truck and on foot. The camp is run jointly by Djibouti's government and the United Nations. In just the past few days, more than 3,000 people have arrived from Yemen, many of them entire households. The UN estimates that the recent escalation along Yemen's Red Sea coast has displaced more than 120,000 people in total. A sudden push toward the coast The exodus follows a rapid advance this month by the Houthis, who years ago took control of most of Yemen's populated areas. Their forces pushed swiftly down the coastline toward Bab al-Mandab, the maritime chokepoint where the southern Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden and, beyond it, the Indian Ocean. Control of that passage carries weight far beyond Yemen's shores. Saudi Arabia, which supports the recognised Yemeni government, answered the advance with hundreds of air strikes across the flat coastal plain where Houthi fighters are now entrenching. The Houthis, in turn, have fired hundreds of drones and missiles at cities and infrastructure in south-western Saudi Arabia. For the people now sheltering in Djibouti, the question of who is responsible for any single explosion matters little. The message from those in the camp was consistent: they do not care which side is firing. What drove them out, they said, were the bombs landing all around their homes. A neutral host in a crowded region Djibouti, a small former French colony, lies just across the water from Yemen and has been clear that it does not want to be drawn into the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government. That stance sits against an unusual backdrop, because Djibouti is among the most heavily militarised countries in Africa. The United States has operated a large multinational installation there, Camp Lemonnier, since 2003. The site was once used by the French Foreign Legion. China also maintains a significant base in the country, its biggest military foothold on the Indian Ocean, which has recently been expanded. The war across the strait has now added thousands of civilians to a nation already defined by foreign forces. Inside Markazi, the new arrivals are beginning to settle into a life of waiting. Among those in the camp is Qassim Abraham Abssy, one more Yemeni who joined the crossing to Djibouti rather than remain under the strikes. For Issa and the families around him, the immediate concern is not the strategic value of Bab al-Mandab or the rival bases dotting the Djiboutian coast. It is the safety of children who no longer flinch at the sound of aircraft overhead. The crossing cost them their homes and most of their possessions, but it put a stretch of sea between their families and the fighting. Yemen war, Houthis, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti refugees, Bab al-Mandab, Markazi camp, Red Sea, Yemen displacement

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Iran says it is still waiting for an official U.S. response after President Trump rebuffed a cease-fire offer. Iran says it is still waiting for an official response from the United States, even after President Donald Trump rebuffed a cease-fire offer. According to Tehran, no formal reply has been delivered through official channels, despite Trump's public rejection of the proposal. Iranian officials have drawn a distinction between the president's rebuff and what they describe as an "official" U.S. position, indicating they do not consider the matter formally answered. The standoff leaves the status of the cease-fire offer unresolved. Trump has turned down the proposal, but Iran maintains it has yet to receive a definitive statement it regards as authoritative, keeping open the question of how Washington intends to proceed. As it stands, the two sides are describing the exchange in different terms. Trump treats the offer as answered by his rebuff, while Iran insists it is still awaiting a formal reply. That gap points to continued uncertainty over whether any pause in hostilities can be reached. For now, Iran's public posture is one of waiting. Tehran has signaled it wants a clear, official communication from the United States before drawing conclusions about the fate of the cease-fire offer. No further details on the terms of the proposal or the timing of any U.S. response have been made public. Iran, United States, Donald Trump, cease-fire, Middle East, US-Iran relations, diplomacy

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Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi surveyed flood-hit districts as over 1 lakh people moved to 500+ relief camps amid heavy rain across 13 districts. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi surveyed rain-battered parts of the state on Sunday, carrying out an aerial inspection and visiting affected areas in Koraput. He ordered officials to speed up help for displaced families and ensure they receive everything they need without hold-ups. More than one lakh people have been shifted out of low-lying zones and housed in over 500 relief centres, officials said. The evacuations followed a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal that dumped very heavy rain across the state, triggering floods and waterlogging in 13 districts spanning southern, coastal and western Odisha. Balasore was the worst hit. The district alone moved 67,266 residents to shelters, with the deluge touching more than 3.5 lakh people there. Elsewhere, Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur took the brunt of the downpour, while swelling rivers later spread the flooding into Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj in the state's north. Majhi visited a relief camp at Chandili School in Koraput, where he checked the meals being handed out and talked with residents, local leaders and officials. "To ensure that food, purified drinking water, emergency medical services and other essential assistance reach the affected people without delay, instructions have been issued to the administration to further expedite the relief efforts," he wrote in a social media post. He said he had walked through affected pockets of Koraput and heard directly from people about their hardships. The chief minister then led a review meeting in Jeypore covering the situation in Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. Officials there weighed the spread of the flooding, the state of rescue and relief work, conditions at shelters and the damage left by the rain. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said families in the shelters would get food, rations, clothing and other basics for 15 days. The meeting also pushed for advance compensation to be paid to those hit, in line with existing rules. Officials were told to clear standing water from farmland. "A technical team will be deployed to assess water drainage and suggest measures to enable farmers to resume cultivation once the water recedes," Pujari said. Hirakud gates open, Mahanadi swells A fresh worry emerged along the Mahanadi after excess water was let out of the Hirakud reservoir, which had filled up as heavy rain lashed its upper catchment in Chhattisgarh. Authorities opened 28 gates of the Hirakud Dam to release water. The reservoir stood at 628.35 feet, just short of its full level of 630 feet. Water Resources Department Chief Engineer Dilip Kumar Rout said roughly seven lakh cusecs would travel down the Mahanadi and reach Mundali near Cuttack by Sunday night. That flow could climb to eight lakh cusecs by Monday morning. He said the surge was likely to raise at least 10 of the river's tributaries and could flood parts of Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara. A minor flood alert was issued for the Mahanadi, with possible inundation across five delta districts. "A minor flood will continue in the Mahanadi for 24 to 48 hours and may cause inundation in the five districts in the delta region," Rout said. Water had already entered several areas of Banki, Athagarh and Badamba in Cuttack district. Rivers cross danger marks in the north In Balasore, the Subarnarekha was measured at 11.20 metres at Rajghat in Jaleswar at 7 pm, well above its danger mark of 10.36 metres. The overflow swamped villages across the Bhograi, Jaleswar, Baliapal and Basta blocks. The Budhabalang stayed under its danger level, though smaller streams including the Kansabansa, Soa and Gangahar were running high. Nabarangpur reported flooding and waterlogging across several gram panchayats, while nonstop rain in Malkangiri pushed up river and reservoir levels and cut off roads in several places. Jajpur and Bhadrak also logged severe flooding. In Mayurbhanj, officials temporarily shut Devkund, a tourist spot inside Similipal National Park, after streams and water channels around it rose sharply. Odisha floods, Mohan Charan Majhi, Hirakud Dam, Mahanadi river, relief camps, Balasore flood, Bay of Bengal depression, Odisha rainfall

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The UK government will bring Avanti West Coast into public ownership from March 2026, part of a wider plan to cut delays and fix rail services. Avanti West Coast, one of Britain's main long-distance rail operators, will be taken into public ownership from March next year, the UK government has confirmed. The decision hands control of services along the West Coast Main Line to the state and ends the private contract that was set to expire on 7 March. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander tied the move directly to the operator's record. "For years, we've heard stories of Avanti underperforming, with passengers left paying the price. Enough is enough," she said. Ministers have framed the change as one strand of a broader programme to upgrade rail infrastructure, reduce delays and give passengers a more reliable journey. Avanti has run into repeated criticism during its tenure. Andy Burnham used a social media post to reinforce the government's position, saying travellers had been left to tolerate "cancellations, delays, overcrowding, and a service that has failed them time and time again." The company struck a very different note. Andy Mellors, managing director at Avanti West Coast, said the team was "proud of what we've achieved over the last six years." He pointed to specific work under the current contract, listing a refurbishment of the Pendolino fleet, the rollout of new Evero trains and an increase in the number of services being operated. Mellors also signalled cooperation with the handover. "Over the coming months, we'll work closely with the government to ensure a seamless transition into public ownership while remaining focused on delivering for our customers and communities," he said. A joint venture facing cutbacks Avanti West Coast is run as a partnership between two owners. FirstGroup holds a 70% stake, while the remaining 30% belongs to Trenitalia, the Italian state rail operator. That ownership structure will now give way to public control. The operator has already been trimming its timetable. In May, Avanti announced that one in seven trains on its busiest routes would be dropped after the government asked it to rein in spending. At the time, the company argued the reduction would cause little disruption for passengers and would not dent its revenues. The financial relationship between operators like Avanti and the state runs deep. Their revenues and costs are largely shaped by the Department for Transport under contracts brought in during March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began. Those agreements shifted much of the commercial risk onto government, tying the fortunes of private firms closely to Whitehall decisions. Part of a wider handover Avanti is not being singled out. Every service running under a Department for Transport contract is being moved into public hands, making the West Coast operator one piece of a national transfer rather than a one-off intervention. Other operators are lining up ahead of or alongside it. Great Western Railway, also owned by FirstGroup, is due to be brought into public ownership in December, before Avanti's March handover. Several networks have already made the switch, including Greater Anglia and South Western Railway. The pattern extends beyond England. Wales moved its rail services into public ownership in 2021, and Scotland followed in 2022, taking its trains under state control the year after. The Avanti announcement continues that trajectory, folding one of the country's most-scrutinised intercity operators into the growing public network. Avanti West Coast, rail nationalisation, Heidi Alexander, FirstGroup, Trenitalia, UK railways, public ownership, Great Western Railway

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