Indian security forces have killed 31 Maoist rebels in what the country’s home minister called the “biggest operation against Naxalism”.
Amit Shah said on social media on Wednesday that the operation took place on Karreguttalu Hill on the border of Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
“The hill on which the red terror once reigned, today the tricolour is flying proudly … Our security forces completed this biggest anti-Naxal operation in just 21 days and I am extremely happy that there was not a single casualty in the security forces in this operation,” he wrote on X.
India has been waging an offensive against the last remaining groups of the Naxalite rebellion, a far-left Maoist-inspired fighter movement that began in 1967.
The Karreguttalu Hills used to be the unified headquarters of several Naxalite organisations, where rebels were provided weapons and strategic training.
But the Naxalites have been fighting for what they say is the defence of the rights of the tribal people in the region.
At the group’s peak in the mid-2000s, they controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters.
[Al Jazeera]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the news of the success of the operation.
“This success of the security forces shows that our campaign towards rooting out Naxalism is moving in the right direction,” Modi wrote on X.
“We are fully committed to establishing peace in the Naxal-affected areas and connecting them with the mainstream of development.”
Director General Central Reserve Police Force GP Singh also said on Wednesday that the government is “committed to eliminate” Naxalism by March 31, 2026 “through relentless and ruthless operations”.
According to government data, since last year, Indian soldiers have killed at least 400 rebels.
More recently, 11 rebels were killed by Indian troops in the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
In February, security forces killed 11 fighters and killed a further 30 in March.
Teddi Mellencamp is living with Stage 4 cancer after being diagnosed with Stage 2 melanoma skin cancer in 2022, and she’s offered another update on her treatment
Teddi Mellencamp shares update on cancer battle as she reveals ‘good news’(Image: Billboard via Getty Images)
Teddi Mellencamp has shared an encouraging update on her Stage 4 cancer battle, revealing positive progress with her immunotherapy treatments. The 43-year-old reality star and daughter of singer John Cougar Mellencamp was diagnosed with Stage 2 melanoma skin cancer in 2022, which escalated to Stage 4 earlier this year following the discovery of multiple brain tumours.
In a heartfelt revelation back in February, the podcast presenter announced that after being diagnosed, ‘multiple’ tumours were found in her brain and lung. Following a daunting brain operation, the ex-Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star made a bold statement at a recent cancer fundraiser by choosing not to wear a wig, bravely revealing the scars from her surgeries.
In late April, she announced that the brain tumours had significantly reduced in size and she could be just weeks away from being declared cancer-free. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star provided another update during her Two T’s In a Pod podcast with Tamra Judge, even calling in from her actual immunotherapy appointment.
Teddi Mellencamp shared an update on her cancer(Image: Getty Images for Trü Frü)
“Today I had the scan and where they checked my lungs and they are shrinking and one of them has shrunk so much you can barely even see it,” she revealed. Her co-host Judge responded to her Instagram post linking to their podcast, expressing her overwhelming joy: “can’t stop crying tears of joy,” adding, “I love you so much.”
Teddi continued: “So it’s really really good news. I’m definitely so relieved. I’m also a little bit like, if I sound a little weird, it’s because I’m in the middle of them in a therapy treatment right now. But what they said was this is good news. That means my body is responding to everything. But I do need to live on immunotherapy for the next two years.”
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“So every four weeks for the next two years, I have to come in and get that done. So and then every three months I get another scan and we check to make sure that everything is where it is,” she added.
The reality TV star has been keeping fans updated on her treatment (Image: @teddimellencamp/Instagram)
Teddi added: “I thought that, like, once the tumours start going away, I’m like, ‘so, does that mean I’m cancer free?’ And he’s like ‘no’. He’s like ‘we will let you know when you’re in remission’. But at this point, everything’s just heading the correct way.”
Asked by Tamra if the immunotherapy was “curing” the cancer or “controlling” it, Teddi answered: “Both. It’s making sure that it’s getting smaller and then let’s say that it gets so small that it disappears. It’s making sure that it won’t form anywhere else in my body.”
Teddi is grateful for her medical team(Image: Getty Images)
The reality TV star added: “The reason they were able to do this treatment on me, because remember radiation didn’t work and the tumors were getting bigger, and like I was only able to get certain surgeries is because over at Cedars Clinic. There is everything in one spot. So because of that, they can do multiple treatments and figure out what works for you individually. So I think what ends up happening to a lot of people.”
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She went on to express her gratitude for living in California, adding, “They go to you know, they have to go to all these different doctors at different locations, where mine is kind of like a one stop shop.”
Earlier this month, Teddi discussed with her followers on Instagram how she decides daily between wearing a wig or going without, explaining that her choice often mirrors her emotional state. “The day to day decision of wig versus no wig. Crying days I tend to pick the wig,” she posted, alongside a selfie sporting a full blonde wig.
Aberdeen have completed the signing of “exciting, up-and-coming” winger Nicolas Milanovic for an undisclosed fee from Western Sydney Wanderers.
The 23-year-old, who has been capped by Australia at under-23 level, will join the Scottish Premiership club on a three-year deal, with a club option for a fourth year, when the summer transfer window opens.
Milanovic has scored 12 goals and provided six assists from 25 league matches this season for the side who finished fourth in the A-League and is costing a reported £385,000.
“He’s made a real impact in the last 18 months, particularly with his goal contribution and assists.
“He’ll bring good physicality and, as a left footed, right-sided winger, he is the profile of a player we don’t currently have. His energy and creativity will add a different dimension.”
Milanovic, who started his career with Western United before joining Western Sydney in 2023, says he is “excited” to be joining “a club with a great history and a passionate fanbase”.
Western Sydney head coach Alen Stajcic said Milanovic had “demonstrated not only his incredible talents but a growth and maturity” in helping his side score a record number of goals this season.
Jamie Vardy will make his final appearance for Leicester on Sunday.
The club has announced the striker’s 500th game for the Foxes, when they host already-relegated Ipswich, will be his last – as he looks for his 200th Leicester goal.
It was revealed last month Vardy would leave at the end of his current contract, after 13 years at the club.
The Foxes plan to celebrate his legacy – having won the Premier League and FA Cup together – and have asked fans to arrive early and stay late to salute the former England international.
The decision was taken so Vardy could end his Leicester career at King Power Stadium, rather than in the final game of the season at Bournemouth.
Vardy joined from non-league side Fleetwood Town in 2012 for £1m and is the club’s record Premier League scorer with 144 goals. He has scored 199 goals in 499 appearances in all competitions.
He scored 24 times in their remarkable Premier League-winning campaign of 2015-16 and helped them reach the Champions League quarter-finals the following season.
He also won the FA Cup in 2021, as Leicester beat Chelsea to win the competition for the first time in their history.
Three members of Liverpool’s title-winning squad have been nominated for the Premier League’s player of the season award.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Ryan Gravenberch lead the eight-player shortlist after helping the Reds to a 20th league title.
Captain Van Dijk has played every game for Liverpool this season, helping the club record 14 clean sheets, while midfielder Gravenberch has only missed one match.
Salah, meanwhile, has registered a league-high 46 goal contributions, including 28 goals.
Nottingham Forest are the only other club with more than one nominee, with Morgan Gibbs-White included alongside Chris Wood, who is enjoying his most prolific Premier League campaign with 20 goals in 34 matches.
Also nominated are Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, who sits second in the scoring charts with 23 goals, and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who has 18 goals and seven assists to his name – the third-most goal contributions in the league.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice completes the list.
Ukraine’s president has described the delegation sent by Russia for talks in Turkiye as “decorative”. Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Ankara on Thursday ahead of the Russia-Ukraine meeting aimed at ending the war, but President Vladimir Putin, who proposed it, will not attend.
