DK Shivakumar sings RSS anthem: Strategy or duality?

A significant security development is unfolding near the Line of Control (LOC) and the International Border, where at least five drones from the Pakistani side were spotted entering Indian territory. India Today's Bureau Chief for J&K, Ashraf Wani, reports on the incursions which occurred in multiple areas including Samba, Nowshera, Rajouri, and Poonch. According to Wani, 'Today, it is a significant move in that way, many drones had been spotted, not only one but at least five drones had been spotted in different areas of line of control as well as international border.' In response, security forces have launched a massive search and cordon operation to determine if the drones dropped any materials, such as weapons or drugs. The army fired upon the drones in at least two locations, but the unmanned vehicles managed to retreat back to the Pakistani side.

This special report focuses on a major political realignment in Maharashtra, where Thackeray cousins Uddhav Thackeray, President of Shiv Sena (UBT), and Raj Thackeray, President of MNS, held a joint rally at Mumbai's iconic Shivaji Park. The two have formed an alliance for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, stating they have joined hands for the benefit of the 'Marathi Manus'. Taking the opportunity to attack his rivals, Uddhav Thackeray stated that 'helpless monkeys can't become tigers' and asserted that the Jan Sangh, the BJP's precursor, had no role in Maharashtra's fight. The report highlights that this pivotal moment sees the brothers reunite after Raj Thackeray had earlier split from the Shiv Sena to form his own party, with their shared cause now being a focus on Marathi identity ahead of the crucial civic polls.

Following Indonesia's lead, Malaysia has now suspended access to Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, due to concerns over AI-generated pornographic content. India Today's Shivani Sharma reports that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has ordered an immediate temporary restriction on the platform. The move comes after global criticism of Grok's image creation feature, which reportedly allowed users to create sexualized images of women and children. According to Sharma, the Malaysian regulator found the platform's safeguards to be inadequate. She notes that access will only be restored 'after the required changes are verified'. This action highlights the growing international concern among nations from Europe to Asia regarding the content generated by new AI tools and the push for stronger platform accountability.

In a special report, India Today's Consulting Editor, Nikhil Naz, breaks down India's tense four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Baroda. Naz points out that while India appeared to be cruising towards an easy win, the match became a '50-50 sort of an encounter' following the dismissal of Virat Kohli for 93. He states, 'While he was there on the crease, it looked like India are in cruise control, driver's seat, cruising to an easy win.' Naz also highlights that dropped catches by an otherwise proficient New Zealand side proved critical. He notes that the visiting team was not at full strength, with several key players missing, yet they still managed to give India a tough fight before KL Rahul finished the match.