US Vice-President JD Vance announced the birth of his fourth son, Alec Neel Vance.
Taking to his official Instagram handle, JD Vance announced the birth of their 3rd son through a post. In the post he mentioned,
US Vice-President JD Vance has announced the birth of his fourth child, a boy, with his wife Usha Vance. Alec Neel Vance was born on Sunday morning, the vice-president said in a statement on social media. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother”
He also thanked the military doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for their care. It is the first time a baby has been born to a sitting vice-president while in office for more than 150 years, according to the Associated Press. The pair have three other children: Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and four-year-old Mirabel.
Usha Vance (née Chilukuri) was born and raised in the working-class suburbs of San Diego, California, to a mechanical engineer father and a molecular biologist mother who had moved to the US from Andhra Pradesh, India.
She met JD Vance as a student at Yale Law School in 2010, when they joined a discussion group on “social decline in white America”.
Vance has been one of the most vocal members of the Trump administration in calling for higher birth rates in the US. He wrote in his recently published book that Usha had initially been reluctant to have another child but that her mind changed after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed last year.
Police baton-charged supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement on Monday as they sought to march on parliament in the capital New Delhi, despite authorities denying permission for the protest.
The months-old movement and the planned protest are seen as the biggest public challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term in office, drawing millions of supporters on social media before broadening its appeal.
A police decision to forcibly move hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital on Saturday has galvanised the movement, with thousands of supporters arriving through the night at the protest site of Jantar Mantar in the heart of New Delhi for the march on the opening day of parliament’s monsoon session.
Delhi police held meetings with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members, but no consensus had yet been reached, Sachin Sharma, Delhi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, told Reuters.
“The protest site has already run out of space and this can lead to an untoward situation,” he said, adding that there were around 10,000 protesters on Monday morning.
Scores of police and paramilitary security personnel were also deployed at the site, threatening a standoff close to parliament if the march goes ahead.
Television visuals showed police caning some protesters in a heavily barricaded area. Delhi police denied any use of force and said the “protest is being handled professionally”.
Protesters chanted slogans as they arrived peacefully in a rainy central Delhi.
“Quit, quit,” they chanted. “Dharmendra Pradhan quit”, “Narendra Modi quit”, they chanted in Hindi, referring to the education minister as well as the prime minister.
“The administration is trying to open talks with the government … They have come very late, but we have opened our hearts and said that we are willing to talk to them,” Saurav Das, chief CJP spokesperson, told the ANI news agency.
The CJP movement began after national medical school entrance test papers were leaked in May, affecting more than 2 million students, as it forced them to sit the test a second time.
“All these leaders in power are illiterate and I am here to protest because we do not want question papers to leak,” said Adi Nathan, 21, a student from Meerut city, about 100 kilometres from the capital.
“This should come to an end.”
Mohammed Tabrez, 22, a student preparing for competitive examinations that allow students admission into professional courses or jobs, said he had come from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh state, about 165 km away.
“We want this corruption to end,” he said. “We want all the fraud in paper leaks, in competitive examinations to end and this is the reason I have come here.”
Activists set terms to end his fast
The CJP initially drew support largely online, amassing 22 million followers on Instagram within days but has since drawn support from some opposition parties.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and his supporters began a sit-in last month seeking the resignation of Pradhan. Wangchuk joined them on June 28, launching an indefinite hunger strike at the site.
In a handwritten note from the hospital posted on his X account on Monday, Wangchuk said he would end his fast if the government took responsibility for recent failures in the education system and for paper leaks, or if CJP protesters were allowed to reach parliament and lawmakers assured them they would take up the issues.
He said he would also end the hunger strike if lawmakers and leaders of various parties met him in the hospital and gave him the same assurances, since his health did not allow him to march on parliament.
The rise of the CJP reflects frustrations among young Indians over issues like high youth unemployment and frequent examination paper leaks, analysts say.
Unemployment in 2025 stood at 3.1 per cent among those aged 15 and above, government data shows, but was 9.9pc for those from 15 to 29. In urban areas, it was 13.6pc, and 8.3pc in rural regions.
Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal shared a touching moment with Lionel Messi after Spain’s dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday.
Moments after the final whistle at New York New Jersey Stadium, Messi remained on the pitch, taking in the disappointment of Argentina’s defeat and the end of the team’s hopes of defending its World Cup crown.
Spotting the Argentine captain sitting alone, the 19-year-old Yamal walked over to the football icon. The pair embraced warmly before exchanging a few private words in a heartfelt display of mutual respect that quickly became one of the most memorable moments of the night.
The emotional exchange carried added significance because of the unique bond between the two players. Ahead of the final, a photograph of a young Messi cradling baby Yamal during a charity calendar photoshoot in Barcelona resurfaced on social media.
Speaking about the image during Fanatics Fest in New York before the final, Messi admitted he never imagined the baby in his arms would one day become one of football’s brightest stars.
“Honestly, that photo is crazy because, in my life, I took a picture with him when he was a baby, and today we are both facing each other in a World Cup,” Messi said. “He is one of the best in the world right now, without a doubt, and I wish him the best because what’s good for him is also good for Barcelona.”
Multan – Climate change is often discussed in terms of crop losses, shrinking water resources, heatwaves and floods. However, one of its least explored consequence is its impact on traditional handicrafts and craftsmanship.
Across South Punjab, where generations of artisans have kept centuries-old traditions alive with their hands, climate change is quietly rewriting a cultural legacy.
Unpredictable weather, scorching heat, prolonged droughts and devastating floods are not only disrupting traditional handicrafts but also threatening the rural livelihoods and rich cultural identity woven into every craft.
From the pottery of Multan to the date palm handicrafts of Muzaffargarh, the reed mats woven along canal belts, the wooden furniture crafted by village carpenters, and the traditional quilts stitched by rural women, artisans are increasingly facing challenges linked to extreme temperatures, irregular rainfall, prolonged droughts and declining availability of natural raw materials.
Potters, including Gulam Hussain and Imam Bakhash, from Chak No 34/W.B of district Vehari, explain that the unusually high temperatures cause clay to dry too quickly before shaping is complete, leading to cracks and higher production losses.
Similarly, sudden humidity changes during the monsoon season also affect the firing process, resulting in damaged pottery and increased fuel consumption.
They maintained that their young kids were not interested in pot making and preferred to seek jobs in countries of middle east. For decades, the village remained highly popular for clay pots.
Women, including Sameena, Shamim Bibi and some others of Basti Nau-Abad, engaged in making handicrafts from date palm leaves, face a similar situation. In many villages of Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Layyah and adjoining areas, families traditionally earned supplementary income by weaving hand fans, storage baskets and decorative items.
However, recurring heat stress, pest attacks and water shortages have affected date palm health, reducing the availability of quality leaves required for these products.
Similarly, many native trees, including Sheshan and Keekar, are also losing ground because of diseases triggered by climate change, they claimed. Furniture requires additional seasoning and maintenance, increasing production costs while reducing customer confidence in handmade products.
Repeated climate shocks reduce household incomes is forcing families to prioritize essential expenses over purchasing handcrafted goods. Similarly, younger generations, witnessing uncertain earnings from traditional occupations, increasingly seek employment in urban areas, thus leaving fewer apprentices to inherit centuries-old skills.
Environmental expert Malik Adnan, a PhD scholar, believes that biodiversity loss further compounds the crisis. Many indigenous trees and plants that once supplied wood, dyes and medicinal materials are becoming less abundant due to changing climatic conditions, land degradation and unsustainable resource use. As these natural resources disappear, the associated craftsmanship also weakens.
Protecting traditional artisans from climate risks is, therefore, not merely an environmental responsibility but also an investment in safeguarding country’s cultural heritage and rural economy.
The Qatari-donated plane has been under scrutiny over whether it is fitted with sufficient defensive capabilities to adequately protect a U.S. president and others traveling on it.
U.S. and Iranian attacks are unfolding in a way that risks a wider war they cannot contain, analysts warn, unless they can return to negotiations quickly.
LOS ANGELES – Director Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of “The Odyssey” had an epic debut, grossing $264.1 million in global ticket sales on its opening weekend, including $124.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, Universal Pictures (CMCSA.O), opens new tab said on Sunday.
The film, based on the ancient Greek poem by Homer, stars Matt Damon as the Greek hero Odysseus, and follows his perilous journey home after fighting the Trojan War. It is Nolan’s first movie since the 2023 blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” which won Academy Awards in several categories, including directing and best picture.
“There’s just palpable excitement across the domestic market this weekend for ‘The Odyssey’,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution.
The film topped the weekend’s domestic and global box office, according to Rentrak. It had broad appeal with movie-goers, with half of ticket-buyers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, Orr told Reuters.
The strong opening performance of the film is a testament to Nolan’s popularity among moviegoers.
“Modern audiences should not be underestimated on their knowledge of film and filmmakers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “And that passion they have for film is manifest in their devotion to Christopher Nolan. It really is a thing.”
“The Odyssey” cost $250 million to make. It received an A CinemaScore from filmgoers who attended opening-night screenings, and an audience rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film ranks among Nolan’s biggest opening weekends.
Factoring in inflation, “The Odyssey” ranks as his third-highest-opening film globally, behind 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” which brought in inflation-adjusted totals of $358.5 million and $304 million, respectively, in worldwide ticket sales during their opening weekends.
Half the movie-goers elected to see “The Odyssey” in an enhanced format in the U.S. and Canada, including 23% at IMAX, according to Universal.
Fans began snapping up tickets for “The Odyssey” a year ago when seats at select IMAX theaters went on sale. IMAX said demand for tickets was so high that more than 50 theaters across North America added show times between midnight and 7 a.m.
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said the company had booked $50 million in advance ticket sales, its strongest presales ever. He has extolled the use of IMAX cameras and 70 mm film to capture the sweeping narrative, generating more buzz around the movie.
“It was just a well-made — almost perfectly made — movie in many respects,” said Gelfond.
Most scholars believe the epic poem attributed to Homer was composed in the seventh or eighth century BC and was sung and passed on orally before it was written down. Nolan’s film centers on a portion of Odysseus’ homecoming, where he encounters gods and monsters, storms and tragedy.
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