2026 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navi Pillay

OSLO, Oct 10: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay.

The committee’s announcement of the 125th Nobel Peace Prize, made on Friday in Oslo, said the award would go to the South African jurist for her work to promote peace and international law.

It added that Pillay, a former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, had been instrumental in ensuring war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

“At a time of existential challenges – including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time – international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity,” the committee said in a statement.

Committee Chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes said the system of international law was “under tremendous pressure” and its institutions were “under attack”. It is judges, he continued, “who guard the thin red line between order and chaos”.

Reacting to her Nobel win, Pillay, 85, said she would “dedicate this award to all of the survivors of international crimes”.

She made her statement in the historic courtroom in Germany’s Nuremberg where the trials prosecuting Nazi leaders after World War II were held.

“Perhaps it was meant to be that I was in this historic courtroom … when the announcement was made, and I was informed of the award,” Pillay said.

She also drew attention to UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which she chaired. It concluded last year that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.

“The last thing I did is the delivery of the report on Gaza, naming what’s happening there as genocide,” Pillay said on Friday. “One of the main reactions to that report is paying tribute to me for my courage. And you can imagine how surprised I was. Why would you need courage to speak the truth?”

A South African of Indian Tamil origin, the 85-year-old Pillay was the first woman to start a law practice in what was then the province of Natal in 1967.

She was a defence lawyer for Nelson Mandela, who previously won the Nobel Peace Prize, and other anti-apartheid activists and was the first woman of colour to serve on South Africa’s High Court.

She later served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court and as the UN’s rights chief.

The committee highlighted her role during her time on the Rwanda tribunal in establishing that rape and sexual violence can constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.

Her work on the UN inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory said last year that Israel’s president, prime minister and former defence minister had “incited the commission” of genocide.

“We concluded that the State of Israel is responsible for the commission of four genocidal acts in Gaza with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza,” she declared in a presentation to the UN General Assembly at the time.

Elite Mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja Killed In Avalanche On PoK Peak

NEW DELHI, Aug 1: Legendary mountaineer Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja was killed in an avalanche at Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world, an adventure company of the Nepali-origin climber and others said in a post on Instagram today.

Purja and five other climbers had been missing since Friday after an avalanche struck them.

It is now confirmed that Nirmal Purja, among the greatest climbers in history, is dead along with all 9 other members on his expedition to Broad Peak.

"Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive," the company, Elite Exped, said in the post.

"Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa. Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones. No words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss, and we ask that everyone respects their privacy as they grieve," the company said.

Broad Peak is on the Karakoram mountain range, straddling the border between Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China - just a few kilometres from K2 in what is Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The avalanche struck along Broad Peak's standard West Ridge route. This would be at an altitude between 21,600 and 21,850 feet.

"The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine. More than his extraordinary achievements, he wanted to show the world what was possible when you dared to dream bigger, believed in yourself and refused to accept limitations. Through his actions, he inspired millions of people to believe that they too, could achieve more than they ever thought possible," Elite Exped said.

JD Vance announces birth of baby boy with wife Usha

WASHINGTON, July 20: 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 added, also thanking 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 reports.

The pair have three other children: Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and four-year-old Mirabel.

Usha Vance 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 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".

9-year-old Indian box office flop becomes 1st film in the world to cross 1 billion views on YouTube

NEW DELHI, June 30: An Indian film recently broke records by becoming the first in the world to generate 1 billion views on YouTube. While PSY’s music video for Gangnam Style is the first video to cross that mark, this 9-year-old box office flop achieved the same recently when it comes to movies. The director also expressed happiness about it while confirming the news.

The Hindi-dubbed version of the Telugu film Jaya Janaki Nayaka, titled Khoonkar, which was posted by Pen Movies, has garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube. While the film was released in 2017, the channel posted the dubbed version online 7 years ago, in February 2019. Starring Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas and Rakul Preet Singh, the film is directed by Boyapati Srinu.

Reacting to the news, Srinu wrote on his social media, “1 Billion Views. 1000 Million Hearts. 100 Crore Emotions. 1 Film. The first movie in the world to achieve this incredible milestone. Thank you for making Jaya Janaki Nayaka (Khoonkhar) a timeless celebration. This milestone belongs to every one of you. Thank you for your endless love and support.” Those who watched the film commented on the post with one-liners from it.

Allu Arjun's Sarrainodu would've become the first film to break this record, but the Hindi-dubbed video that generated millions of views was deleted and reuploaded.

Jaya Janaki Nayaka is a romantic action drama film directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy under the banner of Dwaraka Creations. The film’s synopsis on YouTube reads: “Gagan and Sweety fall in love but are forced to break up because her father disapproves of him. While defending a family from thugs one day, Gagan unknowingly saves Sweety and vows to protect her.” Jagapathi Babu, Tarun Arora, Pragya Jaiswal, Sarath Kumar, Nandu, Suman, Jayaprakash and Vani Viswanath also starred in it.

The film was panned upon its release. Made on a budget of ₹40 crore, it collected only around ₹20 crore worldwide during its run, resulting in a reported loss of over ₹8 crore to distributors. However, much like some other Telugu-dubbed films, it seems to have found a new audience on YouTube. Allu Arjun, Ram Pothineni, Srinivas, and the audience have had films that have found a second lease of life on YouTube in dubbed versions before.

Srinu last directed Akhanda 2: Thaandavam with Balakrishna in the lead role. Rakul last starred in Pati Patni Aur Woh Do with Ayushmann Khurrana, Wamiqa Gabbi and Sara Ali Khan this year. Srinu last starred in Kishkindhapuri with Anupama Parameswaran.