Public Wi-Fi in cafés, airports, hotels, and stations feels like a convenient solution when you need fast internet away from home.

You connect your laptop in seconds and continue working, studying, or browsing without considering the risks. However, public Wi-Fi networks are among the most common entry points for cybercriminals.

Hackers often use open networks to intercept data, steal login credentials, plant malware, or gain remote access to devices. Many people assume cyberattacks only happen to businesses, but individuals using unsecured networks are often the easiest targets.

If you connect without protection, you could be exposing banking information, private messages, and personal files within minutes. Securing your laptop before using public Wi-Fi is essential if you want to avoid serious threats

.A peer-reviewed study on ResearchGate on wireless network vulnerability found that attackers can intercept unencrypted traffic and perform man-in-the-middle attacks on open Wi-Fi networks, placing users at high risk of credential theft and data compromise.

The researchers warn that users often underestimate the risk because attacks happen silently in the background, without any visible signs. Cybersecurity experts recommend strong encryption tools, controlled network settings, and cautious browsing habits to protect laptops when using public networks.

Why public Wi-Fi puts your laptop at risk

Most public Wi-Fi networks do not use strong encryption, and some have no security at all. This allows hackers to capture data transmitted across the network through methods such as packet sniffing or session hijacking.

Attackers may also create fake “evil twin” networks that look identical to legitimate Wi-Fi access points. Once connected, they can view browsing data, passwords and stored session cookies, allowing them to access email, banking or social media accounts.Additionally:

These threats occur quietly, long before victims realise anything is wrong.

How to secure your laptop from cyber attackers on public Wi-Fi

Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) A VPN encrypts traffic between your laptop and the internet, preventing attackers from intercepting data even on an insecure network.Only browse on HTTPS websites Look for the padlock symbol and https:// prefix. Encrypted sites protect login sessions and sensitive information.Disable auto-connect and file sharing Turn off automatic Wi-Fi connection.

Bluetooth sharing and network discovery. This prevents strangers from accessing files on your laptop.Turn on your firewall and update software Firewalls block unauthorised access attempts, and updates patch vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.Enable multi-factor authentication

If a password is stolen, MFA prevents attackers from logging in.Use strong, unique passwords and avoid autofill Password managers generate safer credentials without exposing stored data.

When you should avoid public Wi-Fi entirely

Even with precautions, some activities should never be done on public Wi-Fi:

Using mobile data or a personal hotspot is safer whenever handling sensitive information.

Additional best practices to secure your laptop on public Wi-Fi

Small habits significantly reduce the risk of cyberattacks.You should never connect your laptop to public Wi-Fi without proper safeguards. While open networks are convenient, they are also prime hunting grounds for cybercriminals.

If you must use them, enable a VPN, restrict access permissions, and browse only through encrypted channels. With careful practice, you can enjoy connectivity without allowing attackers to exploit your data.Also read| Is your Gmail hacked? Simple ways to check recent logins and secure your account

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor moved into their new six-storey Pali Hill bungalow with daughter Raha and Neetu Kapoor.

Marking both their griha pravesh puja and Raha’s third birthday, Alia shared heartfelt photos featuring family rituals, tender moments, and glimpses of their lavish Rs 250-crore Mumbai home.

Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor began a new chapter as they moved into their stunning six-storey home in Mumbai’s Pali Hill last month. Joining them in their new abode were their little one, Raha, and Ranbir’s mother, Neetu Kapoor.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect; the family also celebrated Raha turning three. Although Alia kept the festivities private at first, she has now delighted fans by sharing glimpses from both their griha pravesh puja and Raha’s birthday celebrations.

A heartwarming November photo dump

Early today, Alia treated her Instagram followers to a heartwarming photo dump from November, reflecting on a memorable month.

Sharing the post, she wrote, “november 2025… you were a month & a half.” The collection begins with a beautiful shot from the griha pravesh, where Alia and Ranbir are seen stepping into their new home with a kalash placed at the entrance.

Dressed gracefully in a blush pink and golden saree, Alia shows elegance, while Ranbir complements her in a crisp white kurta pyjama.

Emotional moments with family

Another touching frame captures Neetu embracing Alia, with the late Rishi Kapoor’s photograph visible in the background, a moment filled with emotion and warmth. The series also includes glimpses of the couple performing rituals together.

Alia displays folded hands, while Ranbir respectfully bows before his father’s picture. During the ceremony, an adorable moment captures Ranbir and little Raha holding a few grains of rice together.

Raha celebrated her third birthday.

Along with the griha pravesh photos, Alia gave fans another treat: a peek into little Raha’s third birthday celebration. One of the first pictures captures a tender mother-daughter moment, with Alia lovingly holding Raha in her arms.

The two looked adorable in matching pink ensembles. Another lively frame shows Alia posing with friends, surrounded by pastel-hued decorations that created a warm and elegant party vibe. In one heartwarming click, Alia stands beside her mother.

Mahesh Bhatt takes their photo. Adding a sweet touch to the celebration, Alia also shared a picture of the beautifully crafted two-tier cake designed for Raha’s special day.

Inside the luxurious Pali Hill bungalow

The new six-storey bungalow stands where the old Krishna Raj bungalow, the Kapoor family’s former home, once was.

The house includes modern interiors, entertainment areas, and a green terrace garden. Reportedly valued at around Rs. 250 crore, the Pali Hill home is one of the most expensive celebrity houses in India.

US President Donald Trump in August imposed 50% tariffs on Indian exports to America, 25% of which are for India’s crude oil imports from Russia. (AI image)

RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra believes that the tariffs imposed on Indian exports are an opportunity for the sector.

In a post-RBI policy press conference, Malhotra told reporters that the impact of tariffs has been ‘minimal’. US President Donald Trump in August imposed 50% tariffs on Indian exports to America, 25% of which are for India’s crude oil imports from Russia. India and the US have resumed discussions for a bilateral trade agreement.

But the former has drawn its red lines on sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy, while at the same time stressing its strategic autonomy in deciding its sources of energy procurement.

How much have US tariffs hit the Indian economy? What RBI said?

Asked about the impact of tariffs, the RBI governor said, “It’s a minimal impact. It’s not a very high impact because ours is mostly a domestic demand-driven economy.” Also Read | MPC meet: Low inflation, high growth – why did RBI still cut the repo rate? Sanjay Malhotra explains While acknowledging that some sectors have been hit,

Sanjay Malhotra expressed confidence in diversifying. “A few sectors are certainly impacted by it. We have given out relief packages. The government of India has also given out a relief package,” he said. As stated by the central bank governor,

The tariffs are an opportunity. “I think this is an opportunity for us. Exporters have already started looking out, improving not only their productivity but also diversifying, etc. We should be able to come out of this stronger going forward.”

he said. India’s exports to the United States, its biggest overseas market, have declined significantly due to substantial increases in tariffs. During the period from May to October 2025, exports dropped by 28.5%, decreasing from $8.83 billion to $6.31 billion. The reduction occurred after the United States implemented a series of heightened tariffs.

starting with 10% on April 2, escalating to 25% on August 7, and culminating at 50% by end-August—resulting in Indian products facing some of the highest tax rates amongst all US trade partners

Luiza Rozova, 22, widely rumored to be Vladimir Putin’s secret daughter, was ambushed on the streets of Paris by Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Sviatnenko of TSN.

whose brother was killed in a Russian airstrike. Walking with a bodyguard, Rozova appeared uneasy and masked, telling Sviatnenko, “

I’m truly sorry that this is happening. Unfortunately, I’m not responsible for this situation.” The encounter, captured on video, quickly went viral. Sviatnenko pressed her to confront her father, saying

She could at least tell Putin, “Dad, stop shelling Kyiv,” to which Rozova responded, “What does that have to do with me?”

She repeatedly requested not to be filmed. Long linked to Putin and Svetlana Krivonogikh, Rozova has no confirmed political influence, though speculation about her identity and ties to Russia’s elite has circulated since 2021.

At the Red Sea Film Festival on Thursday, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan commanded attention with her stunning black gown and her signature grace as she greeted fans. The actor later participated in an engaging session where she opened up about motherhood, memories with her daughter Aaradhya, and the bond they’ve shared through their many Cannes journeys together.

‘Just mama and daughter having their real moment’

Aishwarya fondly recalled how Aaradhya has grown up visiting the Cannes Film Festival and how the atmosphere has always felt familiar to her. She explained that her daughter enjoys the vibe, reconnects with friends, and understands the rhythm of the festival thanks to her many years of accompanying her.

Reflecting on the viral moments of Aaradhya walking the corridor with her, Aishwarya clarified that none of it was planned or for the cameras. She said, “It wasn’t about putting Aaradhya in a gown just because she was going to be photographed.” No. For me, it’s a little girl—a little girl who’s reading or viewing fairytale stories, right? So it was fun for me to be dressed up, because why is Mama dressing up in these gowns? She’s a kid. She’s suddenly seeing a mother dressed in a gown with hair done.

So I was like, ‘We’re playing a fairy tale. We’re playing dress-up.’ So I’d also make a dress at home in India and pack it. Aishwarya shared how those behind-the-scenes moments were candid, unscripted, and full of joy.

“If I choose to show those videos, they’re completely entertaining… I’d be getting ready for the red carpet, but there’d be another number happening, which is so real. So while the team was trying to do their job professionally, there was Aaradhya, like, “Mama, look at this,” and there was a twirl happening and all of that.” She recalled the day Aaradhya unintentionally became part of a viral moment:

“It was just one of those incidental days when she walked out with me while still holding my hand, which I wouldn’t let go of because she was enjoying it.” You keep it real. We continued coming down and then I was like, ‘Uh-oh, now we’re already out here,’ and there she is, and she’s like, ‘Mama,’ and she’s twirling. I’m like, “Okay,” and then all these moments go viral, whereas actually it was just Mama and daughter having their real moment.“

‘Women are inherently strong.’

During the same session, Aishwarya also spoke powerfully about the strength of women, celebrating their resilience and presence in every role they play. She said, “Women by birth are strong.

All women are immensely strong; you are shakti, devi; you are the embodiment of strength, beauty, and femininity. Enjoy every aspect of being who you are, and we need to be celebrated every second of our existence.”

Highlighting how women constantly adapt, navigate, and rise through challenges, she added, “Inherently, women are strong, and they are always striving, figuring out how to tie all that life throws at them. She emphasised the importance of embracing life’s challenges and handling them effectively. That’s who we are in every role of life as daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives.”

NEW DELHI:

The parliamentary committee looking at the bill to remove the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers who are arrested on serious charges decided on Thursday to invite opposition parties, who had boycotted the panel in protest, to share their ideas.

sources said. The committee headed by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi held its first meeting, and, according to her, all members agreed on the need for the “decriminalisation of politics”.

She added that the panel would ensure “wide-ranging discussion” with all stakeholders. The constitutional amendment bill proposes that PMs, CMs, and ministers cease to hold office if they are in detention for 30 consecutive days on serious criminal charges. Opposition parties, such as Congress, SP, TMC, and DMK, have declined to join the joint parliamentary committee, asserting that the bill can be used to target state governments for political reasons.

The committee has resolved to initiate contact with these parties. It will also be visiting states and speaking to different stakeholders, including leaders of the opposition, the sources said.

The panel will be speaking to constitutional experts and lawyers’ bodies as well. In the meeting, sources said, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi cited different criminal laws, including BNS Section 187, which allows detention of an accused for 90 days, as well as PMLA, to argue against the proposed law.

Another JPC, which is scrutinising the constitutional amendment bill for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, met on Thursday, with Law Commission chairperson Dinesh Maheshwari, a former SC judge, endorsing the proposed law.

He rejected the contention that it was against the basic structure of the Constitution and federalism. Opposition MPs, including Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, raised questions about the provisions.

The commission will be submitting its views on the queries raised by members, sources said. The scheduled speakers include the EC, former CJI BR Gavai, opposition MP and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal, and economists Gita Gopinath and Sanjeev Sanyal.

There is a desperate desire for normality in Gaza – for full shops, functioning hospitals, open schools, habitable homes and usable roads. For electricity that comes on reliably, skies that don’t hum with drones and days that don’t crackle with gunfire.

In Khan Younis, 54 couples got married at one enormous shared ceremony. The event attracted crowds who clambered on to a smashed-out building opposite the dais to wave at the brides and grooms, and to celebrate. Amid a grey landscape of dust and destruction, the image was one of colour and cheer.

It is a captivating vision of a better world, but it is an illusion. Gaza is still being ripped by tides of danger, violence and volatility. And it all sits within a cobweb of conflicting interests that makes security so precarious that you wonder how peace can ever return.

Take the past day or two. First, the Israeli military says that five of their soldiers have been injured after being attacked by Hamas fighters who may have emerged from hiding in tunnels.

As has happened after all such incidents previously, Israel responds with a show of might – with an airstrike that, it says, was aimed at a senior Hamas official. In the ensuing fallout, civilians, including two children, are killed.

Israel also announces that it will open the Rafah Crossing, but only to allow people out of Gaza. Egypt says it won’t co-operate unless the crossing allows people to go in both directions. Israel, which suspects Egypt of offering financial support to Hamas, does not agree. Stalemate.

Also in Rafah, Yasser Abu Shabab, leader of a militant group that opposed Hamas and was getting covert backing from Israel, is killed, presumably by Hamas fighters. Exactly how they got into his territory is hard to guess, but his killing suggests that, far from being degraded, Hamas is once again exerting control.

Read more:
Anti-Hamas militia leader killed in Gaza Strip – reports
Rafah crossing to open ‘in coming days’, Israel says

And then there is the return of the remains of the penultimate hostage, Sudthisak Rinthalak, from Gaza to Israel. Only one body now remains to be handed back, that of police officer Ran Gvili, and once that has been returned, then we wonder what will happen next.

In theory, we enter Phase Two, which will see a flood of aid, the disarmament of Hamas, the rebuilding of Gaza and a new governance structure. But the obstacles ahead are monumental, ranging from questions about exactly who is going to take Hamas’s weapons away from them, to how Palestinians are going to feel about Gaza being governed by foreigners.

Sources say that a huge amount of effort has been invested, largely by American diplomats, soldiers, planners and business people, in trying to plan for this future. America has a huge co-ordination centre set up in southern Israel and President Trump believes that peace in the Middle East is his ticket to the Nobel Prize.

But it would be a huge – strike that, impossible – stretch of faith to think that these plans will come into play effortlessly. They won’t. The ambitions outlined in Phase Two are still little more than hopes.

For one thing, half of Gaza is still under Israeli military control and the IDF are not going anywhere. For another, the other half of Gaza is in a state of quasi-anarchy.

The idea of a military supervisory force has been signed off by the United Nations, but has not yet been created. Nor has a set of rules of engagement – imagine if an Egyptian military unit comes across a firefight between Hamas and a different militia – who would they shoot at first? What rules would cover their actions? How do you maintain peace in Gaza?

The questions go on into the distance. And, as long as Hamas regroups, so the concept of it then choosing to voluntarily disarm and largely disband seems harder and harder to believe. If that doesn’t happen, then Israel will not stop worrying about another October 7 attack.

We could go on like this, but the point is clear. The return of the final hostage will bring into play a mass of new questions, none of which appear to have answers. And for the people of Gaza, the anxiety of life will roll on.