Times of India

Rohit Sharma is facing a tough phase with the bat, especially in Tests during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He aims to regain form in his favoured ODI format against England. Despite recent struggles, Rohit boasts an impressive record in white-ball cricket, including three double hundreds in ODIs.

Indian chess gears up for a historic participation at the 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, from January 17 to February 2, 2025. Featuring five Indian Grandmasters for the first time, including the newly crowned World Chess champion D Gukesh, the tournament promises intense competition among top players.

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal apologised for imposing a Rs 2 fee for enabling a vegetarian mode, calling it "stupid." He assured the charge would be removed and corrective measures would be taken to prevent such mistakes. This response followed criticism from Rohit Ranjan, who highlighted the issue on LinkedIn, calling the charge unfair.

The Supreme Court halted the Delhi high court's order for the Delhi government to sign an MoU with the Centre for the PM-ABHIM scheme. The Delhi government challenged the directive, arguing their healthcare schemes are more effective and that the Centre's scheme would impose a financial burden.

An eighteen-year-old NEET aspirant from Odisha was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hostel room in Kota. No suicide note was discovered. The police are conducting further investigations. The ceiling fan was not equipped with an anti-suicide device, a measure mandated by district administration guidelines.

Indian president Droupadi Murmu honoured D Gukesh, the youngest world chess champion, with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. At 18, Chennai-born Gukesh stunned everyone and won the World Chess Championship, besting defending champion Ding Liren. Gukesh's victory makes him the youngest world chess champion ever, surpassing Garry Kasparov's previous record.

Sai Varshith Kandula, a 20-year-old from Missouri, was sentenced to 96 months in US federal prison for attempting an attack on the White House. Kandula aimed to overthrow the US government and establish a Nazi-inspired dictatorship. He crashed a rented truck into White House barriers and was apprehended by authorities. He will also serve three years of supervised release.

A Pakistani tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in jail for corruption. The charges include accepting land from a property magnate in exchange for facilitating money laundering worth $240 million. Opposition leaders plan to challenge the verdict. Khan maintains the charges are politically motivated.

Ace shooter Manu Bhaker, awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan, achieved historic success at the Paris Olympics 2024 by winning two bronze medals, becoming the first Indian to secure two Olympic medals in shooting post-Independence and the second Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticized BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla for allegedly abusing AAP MLA Rituraj Jha during a live show. They condemned the remarks as reflective of BJP's narrow thinking toward Purvanchalis. BJP's Manoj Tiwari also urged Poonawalla to apologize.

Virat Kohli's availability for Delhi's next Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra is uncertain due to a neck sprain for which he took an injection. The Delhi Cricket Association awaits an update, while Rishabh Pant confirms his participation. The BCCI mandates international players' participation in domestic matches for national team selection.

The CBSE has opened the portal for schools to upload internal grades for Class 12 students for the 2024-25 exams, with the portal available from January 15 to February 14, 2025. Schools must verify the accuracy of the data before submission, as corrections will not be allowed. The Class 10 and 12 board exams will begin on February 15, 2025.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked in his Bandra apartment early Thursday morning. He sustained severe spinal injuries and underwent emergency surgery. The attacker, who demanded money and stabbed Saif, escaped. Police have deployed multiple teams to track down the intruder, while the incident raises concerns about security measures.

Four passengers were killed and 15 injured when a bus collided with a lorry on the Chittoor-Thatchur Highway near Gangasagaram. The incident occurred at 11.15 pm on Thursday in Gajulapalli village. Among the injured, four are in critical condition. The lorry driver fled the scene, and the casualties were taken to various hospitals for treatment.

Neymar jr shared his viewpoint on his time at PSG, mentioning Kylian Mbappé's jealousy after Lionel Messi's arrival, as per a podcast with Romário. Neymar noted their initial good partnership but attributed conflicts to ego clashes affecting team performance. He hinted at a return to Brazil after his contract with Al-Hilal ends.

Stock market today: Indian equity benchmark indices, BSE Sensex and Nifty50, tanked in opening trade on Friday. While BSE Sensex was down oner 450 points, Nifty50 was below 23,200.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and SpaceX’s Elon Musk praised Jeff Bezos for Blue Origin’s milestone as New Glenn rocket completes its first test flight. It signifies a major advancement in private space travel. The New Glenn rocket, named after John Glenn, solidifies Blue Origin's standing in the space race with its successful test flight.

A coal hopper collapsed inside a cement factory in Rajgangpur, Odisha, possibly trapping workers under the debris. The incident took place when over a dozen labourers were on-site. Local police and cranes were deployed to clear the debris, though no casualties or injuries were confirmed yet. Families anxiously awaited news from the site.

Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh has expressed support for Rohit Sharma's captaincy of the Indian team. He highlighted Rohit's past successes, including victories in T20 World Cup and IPL titles, and asked for patience and broader evaluation of his performance. Yuvraj acknowledged recent setbacks but emphasized Sharma's overall contributions to Indian cricket.

In Tamil Nadu, jallikattu and related bull taming events on Thursday resulted in seven fatalities, including six spectators, and over 400 injuries. Notable incidents occurred in Sivaganga, Madurai, Krishnagiri, and Salem districts. The events saw significant injuries among both participants and spectators, with some victims succumbing to their injuries in hospitals. Prizes were awarded to top performers.