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BCCI in an over two-hour long meeting with under-fire skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday but the Board decided against any knee-jerk response to the debacle that was largely blamed on the poor form of senior players. The meeting was held at a five-star facility in Mumbai and BCCI President Roger Binny and secretary elect Devajit Saikia were in attendance along with Rohit and Gambhir. «There was a detailed discussion on the Border Gavaskar Trophy performance and what all went wrong and the course correction required. But do not expect a hurried decision from the new dispensation of BCCI,» a source privy to developments in the Board told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The actor-director opened up about the emotional ordeal in an interview, describing the devastation caused by the raging wildfires that have swept through parts of Los Angeles County, as mentioned in a report by AOL.

India had formally expressed displeasure with the Indonesian government on Subianto's decision to travel to Pakistan from New Delhi, where he will be the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations. Pakistan was not part of his plan until he met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, Malaysia was part of his original plan. Indonesia has been among Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries that have not backed Pakistan's position on Kashmir at the forum.

Factor this, at the December 21, 2024, meeting of the National Board of Wildlife- Gujarat has emphasised the need for population control for leopards and crocodiles while Andhra Pradesh has pointed to increasing Black buck and Sloth bear populace besides migrant elephants from other states. The chief wildLife warden, Ladakh, specifically drew attention to the menace of over 4000 free ranging feral dogs in Protected Areas of Ladakh. Ladakh has time and again raised concerns on increasing feral dog population fed off leftovers at army camps located near border areas.

restaurant. «And even that could be avoided by showing up early in the morning.» But those days are a distant memory. Across major metros like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, a new wave of experiential dining has emerged, creating a storm of exclusivity and FOMO or the fear of missing out. With limited seating, these restaurants have naturally cultivated a «book early or miss out» culture that appeals to diners craving unique culinary escapades. For many, the challenge of securing a reservation only heightens the allure.

Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said that he was not looking for anyone's support and that he worked as per the wishes of the Congress party, speaking out amid public voices of resistance within the cabinet to his ambitions to succeed chief minister Siddaramaiah. The CM is scheduled to present the state budget in March and there is speculation that the party might begin preparations to replace him with Shivakumar in the following months. Shivakumar is also the president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. A dinner meeting was organised by public works department minister Satish Jarkiholi and another was planned by home minister G Parameshwara, both tall leaders from the Scheduled Caste (SC)/Schedule Tribe (ST) communities. Parameshwara's meeting, however, got cancelled on intervention by the All India Congress Committee general secretary RS Surjewala, reportedly on complaints from Shivakumar.

China Pakistan Economic Partnership, according to media reports on Saturday. The development came during the fourth round of Pakistan-China Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) in Beijing on Friday, according to Geo News. Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch led the Pakistan delegation, while Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong led the Chinese side. The meeting reviewed the entire spectrum of practical cooperation between the two countries, focusing on the projects driving the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0.

Congress that if the opposition alliance is broken will not be able to join together again, the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena on Saturday announced that they would be fighting the Mumbai, Thane,Pune, Nagpur and all other municipal and other local body polls on their own and not in an alliance with its allies Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party. «We have decided that for all the local municipal elections from Mumbai to Nagpur we will be going solo. Whatever happens we will see.»said Sanjay Raut Rajya Sabha MP of the UBT Sena. Raut said that the UBT had decided to fight on its own as it wants to expand its party and feels that if the party goes into an alliance with the Congress and NCPSP for the local body polls it would mean lesser seats for its grassroot workers. «When would our grass root workers get an opportunity to fight elections? Hence all local body polls like Municipal Polls,zilla parishad and Panchayat polls would be contested by our party independently.»said Raut.

Amit Shah on Saturday promised a permanent house to every slumdweller in Delhi if the BJP comes to power after the February 5 assembly election. Addressing a 'Jhuggi-Basti Pradhan Sammelan' at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, he said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi had not fulfilled its promises made to slumdwellers. «People living in slums of Delhi are getting dirty water… People living in slums are asking us why Delhi is the most polluted city in the world… What did Arvind Kejriwal do in Delhi in the last 10 years?.. If you are not able to do anything against Arvind Kejriwal, then you should leave the government. BJP will give all the benefits… Arvind Kejriwal is the only CM who did not resign even after going to jail,» Shah said.

Guided by the I Ching hexagrams «Thunder over Mountain» and «Heaven over Water,» this week reminds us that small victories are stepping stones to greater achievements. Let’s explore into what this week has in store for each zodiac sign, as per a report by Your Tango.

Parvathy Thiruvothu told me just days back. The actor-activist was recalling those who cautioned her at the start of her career that a woman artiste has a limited 'shelf life'. You cannot last beyond a decade, after which you will be relegated to playing sister, aunt, and mother, they warned her. 'It's now been over 18 years since I entered films,' she added. 'My survival is my answer to those who said [that].' It is a happy coincidence that I ended 2024 on a stage conversing with Parvathy on the theme, 'She Is Writing History,' at the Wayanad Literature Festival, and I began 2025 watching a documentary on Aparna Sen, actor, director, magazine editor, activist, and all-round exemplar in the matter of both survival and history-making. Suman Ghosh's Parama: A Journey with Aparna Sen was released in theatres in Kolkata early this month after a positive reception on the festival circuit last year. The juxtaposition of these two women's stories in my mind took me back to my childhood when I first watched Sen's directorial debut, 36 Chowringhee Lane. Many years would pass before it occurred to me that until then I had not sampled the work of an Indian woman director. When 36 Chowringhee Lane was released in 1981, Sen was a rarity. The scenario has improved somewhat, but not dramatically so. Women directors are still not common.

ODI series against England could serve as a dress rehearsal for under-pressure India. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s form under scrutiny, Jasprit Bumrah’s injury and doubts over Mohammed Shami’s return, it is a rare white-ball tournament where India would be considered favourites. The shift in expectations might not be a bad thing for the Indian men’s cricket team in the current circumstances. Before that, India have to make certain decisions regarding their personnel. Here is a role-wise breakdown of the options that the selectors could consider while picking up the squad: OPENERS: ROHIT, GILL, JAISWAL Rohit and Shubman Gill are likely to be the first-choice options going into the tournament. Rohit has been a stellar performer in white-ball cricket. His redball woes notwithstanding, the captain can well rediscover his mojo in the 50-over format. It was his efforts at the 2023 World Cup that helped India get off to flying starts and he will want to do the same in Dubai, where India will play their Champions Trophy matches. Gill, however, needs to be more consistent. While he deserves his place in the starting eleven, he will know that a few bad games could result in Yashasvi Jaiswal getting a look in. In that sense, the Champions Trophy is a big test for Gill as well. Jaiswal is going to be India’s back-up opener to start with. He offers the left-hand option that India miss in the top order.

So, when a statue does strike me as being, well, striking, I'm not only delighted, but also stand for minutes on end to admire such wonderful anomalies in stone. As I did recently when I was staying in the Fort area of Mumbai and chanced upon a figure reading a book on top of a cupola held up by a two-storeyed, many-pillared, intricately carved structure. Even in the busy gol chakkar of P D'Mello Road and Mint Road, with his pedestal crisscrossed by lawless electric lines and tres anar-chic pigeons trying their damndest best to make him look up from his book, the figure — on closer inspection, a boy — is unperturbed, utterly immersed. His right hand holds the book as if it's a Kindle. His left hand to his side is balled up in a fist as if reacting to a particularly riveting, or even disturbing, passage.

MAGA star Donald Trump wants to Make America Greater Again. In sq kms, that is. We all know of the US annexing nearly 13 lakh sq km of Mexican territory after winning the war with Mexico in 1848; buying 76,800 sq km in present day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico — the area known as Gadsden Purchase — from Mexico in 1854; buying Alaska from Russia in 1867; annexing independent Hawaii in 1898; procuring 117 sq km of Guantanamo Bay to set up a US detention camp in 1903, which the Cuban communist government has considered illegal since it came to power in 1959. There's, of course, the United States of America itself, carved out of lands not 'owned' by anyone when it was occupied by Native Americans, then turned into a British colony, and ultimately an independent nation state in 1776 according to Westphalian sovereignty norms invented in 17th century Europe. But less well known is America's territorial losses. The Panama Canal Zone, which it acquired in 1904 from private and public Panamanian owners, was returned to Panama in 1979, formally ceding its control in 1999. In Oceania, Japan-occupied Marshall Islands, which the US occupied after WW2, got its independence in 1979. The same 'transition' model was followed with Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, both of which officially gained independence from US 'trusteeship' in 1990 and 1994, respectively.

What instantly caught my attention were the charming bylanes with curious names: Princess Street, Napier Street and Peter Cell Street, all dotted with elegant European-style homes. At the centre of it stood a square named after Vasco da Gama, a figure plucked straight out of my school history books. I made my way to St Francis Church, one of Kerala’s oldest churches, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama was laid to rest for 14 years until his son, Petro de Silva da Gama, carried his mortal remains back to Portugal. Inside, an enclosure marked by a signboard reading “Vasco da Gama Tomb” caught my eye. Taking a seat on a nearby wooden bench, I began googling the famed navigator, only to be stunned by an unexpected revelation—da Gama died in Kochi on December 24, 1524.

Neeraj Chopra, along with the support of World Athletics and the Athletics Federation of India will be bringing a Continental Tour Javelin-Only competition to the country. While the venue is yet to be finalised, the event is slated to take place in May this year and will see some of the best male and female javelin throwers from around the world — headlined by Chopra — compete on Indian soil for the first time. Speaking on the event, Chopra said, «It has been a longstanding dream of mine to organise and bring a world-class javelin competition to India. With the help of JSW Sports and the Athletics Federation of India, we are making this happen. I am sure that my fellow athletes and the fans in India will both create an experience that will be spoken about for a long time. I am excited to see how big we can make this,» as quoted from a release by JSW Sports Media.

Frequent travellers who swear by “never checking a bag” are not chuffed to be travelling lighter. Gautam Sinha, founder and creative director of artisanal leather brand Nappa Dori that also makes travel luggage, flies frequently within India and to Dubai, London, and Sri Lanka to manage his many stores. He is concerned that it will be a major disadvantage to travellers, and says, “It has been proven by the experience of similar structures in European and American budget airlines that the consumer ends up paying a lot more for a basic flight.” One thing he is sure of: “It will definitely make people think more before they pack now.”

Advanced Light Helicopter that led to the deaths of three coast guard personnel this week. The indigenous fleet of Helicopters — about 330 of them are currently in service — has been grounded for comprehensive checks while the crash is being probed. Sources said that the crash occurred after the crew reported a sudden loss of control second before the chopper hurtled to the ground. It is learnt that flight data being studied did not show any obvious reason for the loss of control and the probe team is now examining the transmission system for a possible failure. Earlier, the indigenous helicopter had undergone comprehensive design review by Netherlands based NLR and had been given a green signal. Recently some changes were made in the transmission system and control rods were changed after instances of material failure came to light.

Kate Middleton has a major chance of rising to the throne as the Queen of England in the near future, as she is currently in the line of succession. However, reports suggest that the reigning King of England and his Queen, are currently staying away from giving any kind of advice to Middleton about her prospects of rising to the throne. King Charles III and Middleton have reportedly bonded for some time now, especially due to their shared battle of fighting cancer. However, that has not ignited any idea within King Charles III about Middleton's future as the head of the Royal Family of the UK. Reports also suggest that King Charles III has been very impressed with Middleton's grace and grit for a long time, and that has seen fruition with respect to Kate becoming the Royal Companion of Honour, which is a sign that the King acknowledges her ability to carry the name of the Royal Family forward at the highest levels.

Loan providers and education consultants reported a surge in applications and inquiries, reflecting a growing financial awareness among students and their families. “While education spends have been growing across the entire spectrum of the student lifecycle, overseas education has been one of the sub-segments with significant growth in recent years,” said Amit Gainda, chief executive of Avanse Financial Services (AFS).